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The EU is supposed to impose sanctions on Belarus, but dictator Alexander Lukashenko is reportedly said to get rid of them. Germany, France and Italy in particular are against the sanctions against Lukashenko, Die Welt reports, citing senior EU diplomats.
The reason: communication channels would have to be kept open, but this would be avoided with sanctions. There has not yet been a formal coordination within the EU. Previous informal discussions have been clear.
Since the presidential elections about three and a half weeks ago, there have been daily protests against Lukashenko in Belarus. The 66-year-old was declared the winner with 80.1 percent of the vote. The opposition, on the other hand, regards Svetlana Tichanovskaya as the real winner, but she fled to the EU country, Lithuania, fearing for her safety. The election is criticized internationally for being massively falsified. Russia and China congratulated Lukashenko on the electoral victory.
The Baltic states had already imposed entry bans on 30 representatives of the Belarusian government on Monday, including Lukashenko. The sanctions imposed by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are directed against those who hold them responsible for electoral fraud in Belarus and violence against peaceful protesters.
The official EU sanctions list should be announced next week or the following week, the newspaper reports. “The talks are extremely difficult, as all the lists must be approved by all member states in a court of law and unanimously,” the newspaper quotes an EU diplomat. At present, it is becoming clear that the assets of between 16 and 19 people in the EU will be blocked and they will no longer be allowed to enter the EU.
