Politico: US Decision To Lift Sanctions On Belavia Has Caused A Rift With The EU

Russian airlines can get the spare parts.

The U.S. decision on Belavia has increased the risk of U.S. parts getting into Russian airlines. The EU is concerned about circumventing sanctions.

This is reported by Politico.

The publication notes that the US is trying to prevent Donald Trump's decision to ease sanctions on Belavia from allowing Russian airlines to obtain critical parts.

Washington allowed the sale of parts to the Belarusian carrier, but banned it from flying to Russia and several other countries.

The U.S.-Belarus agreement was reached on Sept. 11 after Minsk released 52 political prisoners. However, the very next day, the U.S. Department of Commerce sent a letter to Belavia CEO Igor Cherginets with a list of restrictions to restore access to spare parts.

The document noted, "This authorization does not allow flights to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Ukraine's temporarily occupied Crimea or the so-called DNR and LNR." Belavia has 16 airplanes in its fleet, including nine Boeing.

The Belarusian airline has not yet responded to an inquiry about whether it will stop flying to Russia. But on September 15, the carrier announced a 50% discount on tickets to St. Petersburg.

Experts note that actually monitoring compliance with the ban will be difficult. "I see Belarus and Russia as fully cooperating states with open borders," said Elina Rybakova of the Kiev School of Economics.

She emphasized that the risk of U.S. components getting into Russian airlines, which are experiencing parts shortages due to sanctions, has risen sharply.

The U.S. decision has also created a potential rift with the European Union. European Commissioner for Financial Services Maria Luis Albuquerque recalled that "the EU sanctions against Belarus prohibit the maintenance of aircraft and the provision of any resources to Belavia."

She said EU countries are responsible for investigating possible circumvention of the restrictions. Brussels has not yet commented on the position on this issue.

The final decision on the sale of parts to Belavia should be made by American manufacturers. Airbus said it is "committed to conducting business ethically and in full compliance with international laws and sanctions."

"As a global company with operations in Europe and the United States, Airbus complies with export controls and sanctions regimes," the corporation said. Boeing declined to comment.

Belavia received an official permission to use Boeing 737 aircraft of American manufacture.

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