Remigijus Motuzas, chair of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs, said Lithuania backs the European Union’s position that sanctions should remain in place until Russia ends its military aggression against Ukraine and addresses the damage caused by the war.
“This is a common security position, and Lithuania is not considering, will not consider and does not support such steps,” Motuzas told LRT Radio on Monday.
He said lifting energy sanctions would have little direct economic impact on Lithuania.
“Even if it helped economically, we would still take a very strict position,” he said.
Motuzas said calls to review sanctions were driven not only by tensions in the Middle East and rising energy prices, but also by pressure from countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, which remain dependent on Russian oil and gas.
Even a temporary easing of sanctions would significantly boost Russia’s revenues, he warned.
“Preliminary calculations show such easing could bring Russia about USD 10 billion a month. Those funds are used for the war machine and the attack on Ukraine,” Motuzas said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban last week called on the EU to suspend sanctions on Russian oil and gas, arguing the move would help counter a surge in energy prices linked to the war in the Middle East.
Oil prices climbed above USD 100 per barrel for the first time since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine after Iran retaliated against oil-producing countries in the Gulf region.
Orban, widely seen as the Kremlin’s closest ally in the EU, has repeatedly criticised sanctions on Russia and used his veto power in Brussels negotiations to secure exemptions for Hungary and push to scale back European support for Ukraine.