Lithuania says EU has no reason to ease Belarus sanctions

New York, United States. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said the European Union had no reason to soften sanctions on Belarus, citing continued repression, human rights violations and Minsk’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

US contacts with Belarus

US President Donald Trump said Washington was working on a deal to purchase potash from Belarus, a key sector targeted by EU sanctions.

The comments followed negotiations by the US administration that resulted in the release of political prisoners in Belarus in exchange for some sanctions relief. The talks were the latest in a year of contacts between Washington and Minsk.

Alexander Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, has long been shunned by Western countries over the repression of opponents and his support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Call to maintain pressure

Budrys said Lithuania would have preferred coordination on sanctions policy but that the EU’s approach differed from that of the United States.

“We do not see any reasons why our position on Belarus should soften as Belarus is not changing its behaviour,” Budrys told Reuters in an interview at the UN General Assembly.

He welcomed the release of prisoners and said Lithuania would continue to assist them after their release. However, he said about 1,000 political prisoners remained in Belarus.

Budrys said the EU should continue pressure on the Belarusian and Russian governments, arguing that sanctions remained effective.

“We see how Lukashenko tries to find ways to get rid of them, and it means that we have to continue,” he said.

Security concerns

The minister said Belarus, which borders Lithuania, continued to pose a security challenge to the European Union. He accused Minsk of orchestrating hybrid attacks against EU member states.