Explained | Why is the EU imposing sanctions on Belarus amid the Ukraine-Russia war?

After four days of fighting, representatives of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to meet at an unspecified location on the Belarusian border. 

The story so far: The European Union (EU) on Sunday declared a new set of sanctions on Russia and its ally Belarus as the Kremlin continues to wage awar in Ukraine. For the first time, the EU announced that it will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons to Ukraine to fight against Russia.

In her statement, EU President Ursula von der Leyen called Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko “a collaborator of the Kremlin” and “the other aggressor in this war”. Praising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership, Ms. von der Leyen said that his bravery and the resilience of the people of his country are “outstanding and impressive”. 

Belarus is situated to the west of Russia and the northwest of Ukraine. In the weeks leading up to the war, the country allowed thousands of Russian troops to gather on its territory under the pretext of a joint military exercise. Kyiv had called the exercise “psychological pressure”. 

Russia’sjoint military exercise with Belarus was earlier scheduled to end on February 20, 2022, before it was extended. According to Belarus Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin, the extension was “to ensure an adequate response and de-escalation of military preparations of ill-wishers near our common borders”. 

Russia also sent six warships for naval drills on the Black Sea and the neighbouring Sea of Azov. The Black Sea is situated towards the south of Ukraine, and the country had alleged that this was Russia’s attempt to “cut off Ukraine”. 

Before Mr. Putin announced his military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, leaders from around the world had described the Belarus-Russia military exercise as a threat. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had called it a “very violent gesture”, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss accused Russia of attempting to “undermine Ukrainian sovereignty”, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the amassing of Russian troops in Belarus a “dangerous moment for European security”. Western leaders had also warned that Russia could be preparing to escalate its eight-year-old conflict in eastern Ukraine. In 2014, Russia had annexed the Crimean Peninsula, then a part of Ukraine. 

The EU plans to introduce sanctions against the most important sectors of Belarus, which will stop the exports of products ranging from fuels to tobacco, wood and timber, cement, and iron and steel. In addition, the EU will extend the export restrictions on dual-use goods for Russia to Belarus so that such materials are not used for military operations. The EU will also sanction Belarusians who help Russia in their war against Ukraine.