Russia is using Belarus to circumvent Western sanctions, Belarusian opposition politician Pavel Latushka said, adding that the EU should coordinate sanctions against Moscow and Minsk.

- Western sanctions are failing, which is why we appeal to the West to harmonize the sanctions against Belarus with those against Russia", said Latushka in an interview with EUROAKTIV, suggesting that Moscow found a way to avoid certain punitive measures through its neighbor.

The EU first imposed sanctions on Minsk in 2020 over a fierce campaign of repression, and then after Moscow sent thousands of troops into Ukraine from Russian and Belarusian territory on February 24.

Belarus was also sanctioned in 2021 after intercepting a Ryanair plane and arresting a dissident journalist on board.

The West has also imposed sanctions on key sectors of the Belarusian economy, such as the export of potash, an important ingredient for artificial potassium fertilizers, of which Belarus is the world's third-largest producer.

However, the Belarusian opposition politician claims that the transit ban on Russian trucks is being circumvented by transferring their cargo to trucks with Belarusian plates before crossing the border.

- Western sanctions apply to the Russian central bank, but not to the Belarusian one. Mastercard and Visa work in Belarus..., Latushka pointed out only some of the "holes", adding that "Minsk is currently full of Russian citizens".

According to him, the regime of (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko is the only ally in Russia's war against Ukraine and should therefore be considered a co-aggressor in that war.

- Belarus today is actually an occupied territory, under the control of Moscow, with Russian soldiers and missiles, the orders come directly from the Kremlin, and Lukashenko is only a puppet in Putin's hands, Latushka said.