“Very soon, early next week, we will extend sanctions against Belarus,” von der Leyen told reporters after the meeting, noting that the restrictions would also apply to individuals and organizations. According to the information of the news agency, the European Union is targeting about 30 individuals and organizations, including Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makhej and a Belarusian airline called Belavia.
“We are studying the possibility of imposing sanctions on airlines that facilitate people smuggling to Minsk, and then to the EU-Belarus border,” von der Leyen said. The head of the European Commission added that he understood that the United States had prepared sanctions against Belarus, which will enter into force in early December.
Illegal immigrants, mostly from Iraq, have been arriving at the borders of European Union member states bordering Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Latvia for months. The European Union accuses Belarusian President Lukashenko of organizing the transfer of migrants to the border in retaliation for Western sanctions against Minsk.
Belarus blames the European Union The foreign minister of Eastern European countries said on Wednesday that the European Union had created a pretext for imposing new sanctions on Minsk by “stirring up” the cross-border migration crisis.
Before the meeting, the White House announced that the two leaders would discuss trade and economic issues between the European Union and the United States, climate change, and regional issues such as Ukraine or the Western Balkans.
“President Biden has reaffirmed his support for the European Union as a key partner of the United States,” White House National Security Council spokesman Emily Horne said in a statement on Wednesday.
Opening photo: Yves Hermann
