EU diplomats on Wednesday (December 1) agreed to add 28 individuals and institutions to its Belarus sanctions list in response to the alleged problem of directing migrants to the EU border.
Brussels accused the regime of strongman Alexander Lukashenko of launching a “mixed attack” on EU territory by lure thousands of Middle Eastern migrants to the borders of Poland and Lithuania.
Diplomats said that member states have decided to impose sanctions on several targets in Belarus, and on Wednesday the high-level envoy approved the list drawn up by the European Commission.
According to one of the officials, the new targets include 17 officials and 11 companies or official institutions. EU ministers are expected to formally approve the decision on Thursday.
Also on Wednesday, the United States also stated that it will announce new sanctions against Belarus.
A senior U.S. State Department official said, “I think you will soon see a coordinated sanctions plan between the U.S. and the European Union.”
The official said during a visit to Sweden by US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken that sanctions could be imposed as early as this week.
The European Union has imposed sanctions on 166 people and institutions, including Lukashenko and his two sons, because of the suppression of his controversial re-election campaign in 2020.
Western capitals refused to recognize the vote, believing it was rigged, but Lukashenko retained the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In June, Brussels imposed economic sanctions on key sectors of the Belarusian economy — potash, oil, and tobacco — and barred Belarusian Airlines from entering its airspace.
The regime’s response is said to have encouraged thousands of migrants-mainly Syrians, Iraqis and Yemenis-to fly to Minsk and to the EU borders. Lukashenko denied that he was responsible for the influx.
Polish police set up barbed wire barriers and rejected hundreds of tourists camping in the cold and humid forest.
The Polish authorities did not allow journalists to enter the border area, but there were reports that more than a dozen immigrants were killed in the chaotic and dirty environment.
