Ukraine has imposed sanctions against Lukashenko
- Admin of the NAM
- Feb 18
- 3 min read
On 18 February 2026, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree introducing personal sanctions against Aleksandr Lukashenko. Earlier, sanctions against Lukashenko had already been imposed by the European Union, the United States, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
As noted by the Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus and Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Pavel Latushka:"Ukraine’s sanctions personally against Lukashenka are an important political signal to the regime, as well as a sign of support for the activities of the democratic forces aimed at achieving democratic change in Belarus. Ukraine once again confirms that this person is not the lawful and legitimate President of Belarus. The Ukrainian side also recognises his role in crimes committed by him personally and by representatives of his regime, including the crime of aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity".
Pavel Latushka also stressed that Ukraine officially confirms the involvement of officials of the Lukashenka regime and the dictator himself in the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children. The National Anti-Crisis Management had previously submitted two relevant communications with a large body of evidence to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
"We have also collected and, with the assistance of our Lithuanian partners, transferred materials to bring Lukashenka to justice for crimes against humanity, and we are now consolidating relevant materials proving the involvement of the Lukashenka regime in aggression against Ukraine for the special tribunal that is being established", Pavel Latushka noted.
In addition, the Ukrainian side points to several other factors justifying sanctions against the dictator. Among them is the participation of more than 3,000 Belarusian enterprises in cooperation with the Russian military-industrial complex. It is also specifically noted that in the second half of 2025, infrastructure for controlling strike drones was deployed, which is used to coordinate attacks on Ukrainian territory. Kyiv also points to supplies of Western components and other equipment through Belarus that may be used for military purposes in circumvention of sanctions restrictions.
As early as 9 September 2024, Pavel Latushka sent a relevant appeal to the Adviser and Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on sanctions policy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, proposing support for the harmonisation of trade sanctions against the Lukashenka regime and Russia.
As Pavel Latushka stated today:"Vladyslav Vlasiuk publicly supported the idea of bringing closer sanctions approaches toward the two regimes. In addition, among the measures we proposed to the Ukrainian side are strengthening transit restrictions and expanding trade sanctions. We will initiate and submit to the Ukrainian side proposals on introducing additional sanctions against the Lukashenka regime, and we are also interested in cooperation to lobby for relevant sanctions decisions within the European Union.
Regarding the deployment in Belarus of the intermediate-range missiles ‘Oreshnik’, we, like the Ukrainian side, believe that such actions increase regional security threats and make Belarus a target for a possible retaliatory strike", the Belarusian politician noted.
"We are interested in expanding cooperation with official Kyiv on achieving accountability for Lukashenka for the war crime of the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children, for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, and we also count on support for our efforts to ensure accountability for crimes against humanity within the framework of the International Criminal Court, taking into account that Ukraine is already a member of the ICC", Pavel Latushka concluded.
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