Ukraine says it did not ask EU to keep Belarus out of sanctions

January 12, BPN. Media reports that Kyiv asked the European Union (EU) not to include Belarus in its latest sanctions packages against Russia do not correspond to reality, a spokesman for the Ukrainian foreign ministry, Oleh Nikolenko, has said on Facebook.

“Recall that Belarus is now under multiple personal (Łukašenka’s regime, military command, propagandists, 25 state bodies and companies of the Belarusian military-industrial complex, in particular the Ministry of Defense and the state security committee, as well as eight Belarusian firms) and sectoral (the central bank and four other Belarusian banks, a ban on the supply of dual-use goods, services, deposits, euros and fertilizers, as well as a ban on cargo operators) sanctions for supporting the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Nikolenko said.

He added that Kyiv is aware “of the discussion between EU member states on further synchronization of sanctions imposed on Russia,” while “there is no consensus within the European Union” at the moment.

“Ukraine and partners are now actively working to maximize the content of the tenth EU sanctions package, the adoption of which is long overdue,” Nikolenko said.

On January 12, Radio Liberty journalist Rikard Jozwiak said: “One of the reasons why Belarus hasn’t been sanctioned together with Russia in the EU’s last sanctions packages is that Ukraine has requested that Minsk is to be kept out.”

Belarusian opposition leader Śviatlana Cichanoŭskaja commented by saying that Alaksandr Łukašenka would not be stopped by the Ukrainian authorities trying to pacify him.

“We understand that the Ukrainian authorities do not want to provoke Łukašenka. But if they think it will stop him, that’s a mistake. In early 2022, he promised Ukraine that there would be no attack. We know what that led to. Łukašenka never keeps his word and will do what Russia says,” she said.