The European Union is preparing to adopt new measures to strengthen sanctions against Belarus in order to limit import of elite cars to Russia. According to the information received from Financial Times, these new sanctions will be aimed at preventing the use of "loopholes" that Russia uses to bypass the restrictions on it.
Moscow continues to import elite cars and luxury cars with the help of Minsk.
According to the project, which they got acquainted with Financial Times, new restrictions that are discussed by EU member states aimed at "minimizing the risk of bypass".
New sanctions will prohibit exports to and through Belarus technologies and goods that can be used for military purposes, as well as natural gas liquefied. The EU will also stop importing diamonds from Belarus.
According to the newspaper, if new sanctions are adopted, their main direction will be limiting the flow of the sale of elite cars to Belarus, which then go to Russia.
The monthly flow of vehicles and spare parts to Belarus from EU countries increased from $ 50 million in January 2022 to $ 268 million in January 2024. The greatest growth of exports is recorded in the most expensive categories of cars, that is, those that have been sanctioned by the EU against Russia.
Customs officers from EU countries believe that Belarusian companies have become a key component of Russian smuggling networks. According to Financial Times, in Russia, despite sanctions, elite Rolls-Royce and Maybach cars are still imported. In doing so, they get into the Russian Federation for several months after release from the plant.
