Response to sanctions: Belarus stops imports of western food

Meat, vegetables, confectionery and salt: Belarus has imposed a ban on imports of food from numerous western countries. Ruler Lukashenko is reacting to the recent sanctions against his country.

Belarus has announced a ban on imports of food from a number of Western countries in response to sanctions. The Belarusian authorities published a long list of foods, including meat, dairy products, vegetables, confectionery and salt, which will be banned from the EU, the US, Canada, the UK and Norway from January.

According to information from Minsk, more products could be added. “Retaliatory measures have been taken amid continued attempts by the entire West to exert illegal sanctions pressure on our country,” the government said.

“Importers, manufacturers and retail chains will concentrate on replacing goods that are not made in Belarus with deliveries from friendly countries.” However, some products such as baby food were exempted from the ban in the “interests of the Belarusian citizens”.

Numerous sanctions against Belarus

Since the controversial presidential election in Belarus in August 2020, the western states have imposed a number of sanctions on Belarusian government representatives, organizations and companies. Last week, in a coordinated action by the Europeans and North Americans, further sanctions decisions were made because of the migration crisis at the EU borders with Belarus. The EU accuses Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko of targeting migrants from the Middle East to the EU borders. Minsk rejects this.

Previous sanctions were imposed on allegations of electoral fraud and harsh actions by the Belarusian authorities against demonstrators and opponents of the government.

With a ban on the import of food, Lukashenko is doing the same as his ally, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Moscow also banned imports of agricultural products from the EU in 2014 in response to Western sanctions in the Ukraine crisis.