'Russia Isolation'... EU Also Blocks Indirect Exports of Military Equipment

The European Union (EU) is set to impose export sanctions on Belarus, which is accused of supplying military and aviation parts to Russia.

On the 26th (local time), according to major foreign media, Spain, holding the rotating presidency of the EU for the second half of the year, announced that a new sanctions proposal centered on this issue was provisionally agreed upon at a meeting of permanent representatives attended by ambassadors from the 27 member countries.

The provisionally agreed items include dual-use products that can be diverted for military and aviation purposes, and Belarusian individuals will also be added to the sanctions list. Although Belarus, an ally of the Russian military, has not directly participated in the Ukraine war, it has actively cooperated by providing forward bases to Russian forces in the early stages of the war.

Last month, when Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, staged an armed rebellion, Belarus mediated an agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prigozhin.

Recently, concerns have escalated among EU member states bordering Belarus as joint training between the Belarusian military and the Wagner Group was agreed upon, and Belarus has begun receiving Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons.

The provisional agreement requires final approval from all 27 countries and will be implemented if no member state objects by the 28th. Detailed contents of the new sanctions are expected to be disclosed upon confirmation of implementation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

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