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Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia impose travel bans on President Alexander Lukashenko and 29 other Belarusian officials, calling for sanctions to be imposed on the rest of the EU, Reuters reported.
The three Baltic states are leading calls for the West to crack down on Lukashenko, who has been accused by opponents and the West of rigging the elections to extend his 26-year term.
Lukashenko has put half of the Belarusian army on high alert
USA: The situation in Belarus is not a rivalry between East and West or Russia and the USA.
The sanctions are aimed at rulers whom the three Baltic states accuse of rigging the elections and play a role in the violence against protesters after the August 9 elections. Lukashenko’s inclusion on the lists sends a message to other European countries that are reluctant to support measures against him.
Lukashenko, a Moscow ally, denies election manipulation and said the protesters were backed by foreigners.
For Lukashenko, Belarus is like the USSR before the Patriotic War
Tensions continue in the country
“We said we needed a peaceful dialogue and an agreement between the regime and society, but we see that the regime is not prepared for that,” said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, adding: “We see that We need to move forward and set an example for other countries.. “
The European Union is working on its own list of people in Belarus to attack with such sanctions, but Western countries in general have been cautious about provoking Russian intervention.
Putin and Lukashenko have organized a meeting in Moscow
They need to strengthen bilateral relations and expand their cooperation
The three small Baltic states are in the EU, and Lithuania and Latvia border Belarus. Lithuania is hosting opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled there after the elections, and her supporters say she won.
Tikhanovskaya will speak at the US Security Council on Friday at the invitation of Estonia, her spokesperson said.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets again in central Minsk yesterday, seeking to keep up the pressure on Lukashenko to resign. At least 140 people were arrested.
Lukashenko has promised a firm response to the imposition of sanctions
“Let’s see who will scare whom”, to think about what Europe can become, “if Belarus catches fire”
Lukashenko threatened on Friday to cut European transit routes through his country in retaliation for any sanctions.
Belarusian goods account for almost a third of the rail traffic and the volume of ports in Lithuania. Belarus is also an important overland route for European goods to Russia and the passage of oil pipelines, and it also transits Russian oil to Europe.
President Vladimir Putin has invited Lukashenko to Moscow in support of the Kremlin.
Lukashenko with a Kalashnikov in hand: the aggression of despair
There is a gap between him and his people …
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