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The European Union has extended economic sanctions against Russia in response to measures to destabilize the situation in Ukraine, as well as austerity measures imposed on Belarus in October, the European Union council said on Thursday.
The EU imposed sanctions on Russia in July 2014, the duration of which was linked to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements reached in February 2015 by the four Normandy countries: Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France. As this was not done and given that the full implementation of the agreements is still pending, the Union extended the measures until July 31.
Extended economic sanctions include a ban on arms exports and imports, exports of dual-use items for military purposes or for Russian military end users, as well as restricting Russia’s access to certain sensitive technologies and services for production. and oil exploration.
On Thursday, the Council extended the austerity measures imposed on Belarus in early October and added another 36 people to the sanctions list to quell the protests in Belarus.
The restrictive measures, which will take effect immediately, with an assets freeze and a travel ban, will affect several senior officials, as well as businessmen and economic operators close to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The sanctions list currently includes 88 individuals and 7 organizations, including President Lukashenko and his son, Viktor Lukashenko, a national security adviser and key players in the Minsk leadership.
The Union is ready to support the peaceful democratic transition in Belarus with a number of additional instruments and will not avoid imposing new sanctions if the situation in the country does not improve, the Council said in a statement.
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