Context: Despite reports that the U.S. is urging a review of the current restrictions, Lithuania’s Minister of Transport called talks about resuming the transit of Belarusian potash through the country a waste of time. During his June 4, 2026 interview with Žinių Radijas, he noted that altering the European Union’s sanctions requires approval from all 27 member states. In his opinion, this is currently impractical.
On May 29, 2026, Aleksejs Rosļikovs, a former member of the Latvian Saeima who relocated to Belarus, posted a video to his Telegram channel claiming that Belarus had successfully replaced fish products from the Baltic States after they allegedly refused to supply them.
“As for sanctions, do they work or not? Guys, it’s complete and utter nonsense. <...> Let me give you a simple example. The Republic of Belarus. The Baltic States said: ‘We will no longer supply you with anything related to the sea or the ocean, no fish products whatsoever.’ Belarusians said: ‘Fine.’ Now take a look at Belarusian stores. Look — this is Minsk. They have absolutely everything. Everything that was swimming in the sea or the ocean yesterday is sold here and readily available,” Rosļikovs said.
Belarusian stores indeed sell a variety of fish and seafood. However, this is not because Belarus has replaced the products banned by the Baltic States.
Neither the Baltic States nor the European Union has imposed sanctions on the export of fish and seafood to Belarus. Other categories of goods, such as luxury goods, dual-use items, and certain types of equipment and machinery, are subject to European restrictions. In response to European sanctions, Belarus imposed an embargo on a number of food products from EU countries in January 2022. However, fish and seafood were not included on this list. Then-Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Alexei Bogdanov explained that Belarus could not fully meet its own demand for such products.
As a result, neither side banned the trade in fish. Furthermore, the value of fish and seafood exports from the Baltic States to Belarus has doubled over the past three years.
Thus, Aleksejs Rosļikovs tried to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of sanctions using products that were not subject to any bans. Fish from the Baltic States has not disappeared from stores in Belarus. In fact, imports have increased.
