Lithuania and Poland on Thursday blocked the adoption of new sanctions for Russia over the exemptions for grain and fertiliser exports, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said.

The exemptions proposed by Germany, France, and the Netherlands could provide a loophole to circumvent sanctions, according to Landsbergis.

“Half an hour ago, Lithuania and Poland suspended the adoption of the [sanctions] package, and that discussion might be moved to the European Council,” the minister told reporters at the Seimas on Thursday.

“If a political loophole of this size was made, backed by all EU countries, I think it would be used not only to deal with those specific cases but also, probably, to circumvent the sanctions,” he added.

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According to Landsbergis, Lithuania and Poland have suspended the adoption of the ninth EU sanctions package, and this position was supported by the other Baltic countries.

“We co-ordinated, I always explain my arguments to everybody. There was direct support in principle for the position,” the foreign minister said.

The proposed exemptions weaken the ninth package of sanctions against Russia, imposed in the wake of its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, he said.

“In our view, the exceptions that are envisaged significantly reduce the importance of the ninth package of sanctions,” Landsbergis said.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda vows to raise the issue at the European Council and says food security should not be a cover for weakening sanctions for Russia.

“The ninth sanction package is on its way. Food security shouldn’t be used as cover for weakening our sanctions! Sanctioned Russian oligarchs should not get access to their frozen funds and continue building wealth while Ukrainian civilians are dying under Russian bombs,” Nausėda tweeted ahead of the council meeting.

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