Павел Латушко. Фото: t.me/latushka
Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus and Head of NAU Pavel Latushka stated that Ukraine’s sanctions against Aliaksandr Lukashenka are an important political signal to the regime and a show of support for Belarusian democratic forces. According to him, the introduction of personal restrictions confirms that Kyiv does not consider Lukashenka the lawful and legitimate president of the country.
“The Ukrainian side also recognizes his role in crimes committed personally by him and representatives of his regime, including crimes of aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity,” he said.
He emphasized that Ukraine officially confirms the involvement of regime officials and Lukashenka himself in the unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children. Earlier, NAU submitted two relevant communications with evidence to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
“We have also collected and submitted, with the help of our Lithuanian partners, materials to hold Lukashenka accountable for crimes against humanity, and are now consolidating relevant materials proving the Lukashenka regime’s participation in aggression against Ukraine for the special tribunal that is being created,” the politician said.
Among the grounds for sanctions, the Ukrainian side cites the involvement of more than 3,000 Belarusian enterprises in cooperation with the Russian military-industrial complex, as well as the deployment in the second half of 2025 of infrastructure for controlling strike drones used to coordinate attacks on Ukrainian territory. Kyiv also states that Western components and equipment that may be used for military purposes are being supplied through Belarus in circumvention of sanctions.
On September 9, 2024, Pavel Latushka sent an appeal to the Advisor and Presidential Commissioner on Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk proposing support for the harmonization of trade sanctions against the Lukashenka regime and Russia. According to the politician, Vlasiuk publicly supported the idea of aligning sanction approaches toward the two regimes.
“In addition, among the measures we proposed to the Ukrainian side are strengthening transit restrictions and expanding trade sanctions. We will initiate and submit to the Ukrainian side proposals for additional sanctions against the Lukashenka regime and are also interested in cooperation to lobby for corresponding sanction decisions within the EU,” Pavel Latushka said today.
Commenting on reports about the deployment of Oreshnik intermediate-range missiles in Belarus, he noted that such actions increase regional security threats and make the country a potential target for retaliatory strikes.
“We are interested in expanding cooperation with official Kyiv on the issue of holding Lukashenka accountable for the war crime of unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children, for committing an act of aggression against Ukraine, and we also expect support for our efforts to achieve accountability for crimes against humanity within the International Criminal Court, given that Ukraine is already a member of the ICC,” the politician concluded.
As previously reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 18 introduced sanctions against Aliaksandr Lukashenka. The sanctions were imposed, among other reasons, for deploying a system of relay transmitters in Belarus used to control strike drones and include stripping Lukashenka of Ukrainian state awards, asset freezes, restrictions on trade operations, transit restrictions, a ban on participation in privatization, and other measures.
Earlier, sanctions against Lukashenka were introduced by the European Union, the United States, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, and New Zealand.