South Korea announces sanctions against Belarus for supporting Russian invasion of Ukraine

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced Sunday that the country will impose export controls against Belarus for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Export controls will be applied similarly to what South Korea has previously imposed on Moscow, the ministry said in a press release. In February, the Asian country blocked exports of strategic goods to Russia.

Details on the measures that will be taken, however, have not yet been released.

South Korea said last month it would tighten export controls against Russia by banning shipments of strategic items and joining Western countries’ moves to block some Russian banks from the Swift international payments system.

“The Korean government today decided to implement export control measures also against Belarus, deeming that Belarus is effectively supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the ministry said.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation”. Last month, Russia’s ambassador to South Korea, Andrey Kulik, decried the sanctions, blaming “strong external pressure” on Seoul by the United States and its Western partners.

Belarus position

Belarus has a very important strategic position in Eastern Europe, as it borders both Russia and Ukraine. For this reason, Putin took advantage of his ties with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to conduct military tests in the country.

Russian troop exercises in Belarus have raised tensions over a possible conflict with Ukraine, as the country could serve as a route for transporting forces to Ukrainian territory. Russian soldiers were deployed on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border and even entered Ukraine with the support of the Belarusian government.

When Putin recognized the independence of the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, the Belaus Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it viewed the move “with respect and understanding”.

*With information from Josh Smith of Reuters