The United States refused to join the sanctions of Great Britain and Canada against the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and his entourage. This is reported by Reuters, citing sources.
This position of Washington is connected with the hope that the European Union (EU) will develop a common position on sanctions. One source added that the package of US sanctions, including for “human rights violations”, was almost ready.
Earlier, Canada imposed sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, his son Viktor and some members of the republic's government. The country took this step at the same time as the UK, which banned the entry of blacklisted persons. Sanctions are imposed for human rights violations.
At the end of September, it also became known that the foreign ministers of the EU countries could not agree on a list of personal sanctions on Belarus. This happened due to the position of Cyprus, which intends to achieve at the same time the introduction of restrictive measures against Turkey in connection with Ankara's plans for natural gas production in the Eastern Mediterranean. After the failure of negotiations at the level of diplomats, the issue will be discussed by the leaders of states.
In Belarus, for the second month, mass protests have continued over the official results of the presidential elections on August 9, according to which Lukashenka won more than 80 percent of the vote.
