EU to discuss new sanctions against Belarus

February 20, BPN. The European Council’s Permanent Representative Committee will consider new sanctions against Belarus on February 22, its website says.

The new round of sanctions is linked to the situation within Belarus and its involvement in the Russian aggression against Ukraine, it notes.

Earlier, the EU imposed sanctions on Belarus over human rights abuses, allegations of vote rigging in the 2020 presidential election, the forced landing of the Ryanair flight in Minsk and the country’s complicity in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Alaksandr Łukašenka admitted that Belarus participated in Russia’s war on Ukraine, but said it was “not killing anyone.”

Authorities in Minsk denied Belarusian army troops’ involvement in combat operations on the Russian side. However, Belarus allowed Russian troops and weapons to move freely through the country, use its airspace, refuel and store military equipment and attack Ukraine from its territory.