Kuleba made it clear: Ukrainian sanctions against Belarus will be for fun
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba claims that Kyiv will only join personal EU sanctions against Belarusian officials, but will not introduce measures that will harm the economy of the neighboring republic.
Kuleba announced this today at a briefing in Kyiv, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“In no conversations do I demand that our partners strangle Belarus with sanctions and destroy it. This contradicts the very spirit of relations between the Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples. I will never wish harm on my neighbors, neighboring people.
We are discussing what we can do to support the Belarusian people. From the very beginning of this crisis, Ukraine very clearly took sides - we will be with the Belarusian people.
As for EU sanctions, we are studying all sanctions. But I believe that at this stage it is inappropriate to join economic sanctions against Belarus. As for sanctions against officials guilty of repressions against the Belarusian people, these people certainly must be held accountable,” Kuleba said.
He recalled that Ukraine, "together with Lithuania and Poland" ( from where the anti-government unrest is being coordinated, - ed. ), offered mediation to the Belarusian authorities in resolving the domestic political crisis, but this offer remained unanswered.
Kuleba’s restrained rhetoric is explained by the mutual dependence of Ukraine and Belarus in economic relations. Kyiv seeks to please the West by declaring the introduction of personal sanctions, but, at the same time, seeks to maintain trade with Minsk.
PolitNavigator previously reported that Kyiv had already expressed concern that Alexander Lukashenko might, out of spite, stop supplying equipment for the punitive operation against Donbas.
Kuleba made it clear: Ukrainian sanctions against Belarus will be a sham