Politico: Germany, France Refusing To Close Channel Of Supplying Luxury Cars Through Belarus

Details.

Germany and France oppose the intention of the European Union to block the channel of delivering luxury cars to Russia through Belarus. This is reported by Politico with reference to several European diplomats.

Paris and Berlin support restrictions against Russia and believe that it is necessary to apply tough measures against those who help Russia to circumvent sanctions, but the EU attention should be focused on the sanctioned goods, which Moscow uses for military purposes, the sources of the publication say.

After the sanctions were imposed against Russia because of the invasion of Ukraine, Minsk helped Moscow to organise the supply of sanctioned products. Thus, cars and spare parts for them became the main import item for Belarus in trade with the EU: monthly purchases rose from $50 million in January 2022 to $268 million in January 2024. The country started acting as a transshipment point primarily for luxury cars - it was their segment that showed the greatest growth, The Moscow Times writes.