ARCHIVE – Ursula von der Leyen announces further EU sanctions against Belarus. Photo: Jean-Francois Badias/AP/dpa
“We will impose new sanctions on Belarus to take account of Belarus’ role in this Russian war in Ukraine,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Tuesday. The sanctions already imposed on Russia would be extended to all countries that militarily supported the war. In addition to Belarus, she also cited Iran as examples.
Last year, the EU imposed sanctions on Belarus and Iran in response to Belarusian support for the Russian war. In the case of the ex-Soviet republic, these include trade restrictions and a ban on transactions with the Belarusian central bank. In Iran, those involved in the export of combat drones are particularly affected by punitive measures.
In the past few weeks there has been repeated speculation about a renewed Russian attack on Ukraine from Belarusian territory. Already at the beginning of the war, the troops of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had used the ex-Soviet republic as a staging area for the invasion of Ukraine.
(SDA)