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Minsk announced on Friday 02/10 that it would impose counter-sanctions on the European Union after the bloc adopted measures against figures of the Belarusian regime following the controversial re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.
“With regard to the visa-related sanctions adopted by the European Union against various Belarusian officials, the Belarusian side will, as of today, announce a list of retaliatory sanctions,” the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Earlier on Friday, European Union leaders agreed to a travel ban and freeze on the assets of some 40 people associated with the Lukashenko regime who were responsible for the fraud of the August 9 elections and the crackdown. violent protests. And unlike Britain and Canada, which imposed sanctions on Belarusian officials, the European Union will not impose sanctions on Lukashenko.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said that by imposing sanctions, the European Union “contributed to the exclusion” of the country, condemning the step taken by the 27-nation bloc, calling it a “punitive measure.” Minsk said it would not reveal the identity of the European officials targeted by its counter-sanctions and threatened “more serious consequences” if the European Union extended its restrictions.
Belarus, an ally of Belarus, criticized the European Union sanctions, describing the move as a sign of political weakness. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We see that the sanctions policy in general is bad. In any case, it is a sign of weakness rather than a sign of strength,” considering that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko did not consider personally the European measures as “positive”.
