The EU announced this on Wednesday without first publishing the individual penalties. The French EU presidency tweeted that the measures include new economic sanctions and new lists of Belarusian officials and military involved in the aggression against Ukraine.
They would “hit some sectors of the economy, notably timber, steel and potash,” it said in a statement. An EU official told Reuters that the sanctions would include an import ban on several goods, including mineral fuels, a ban on exports of EU machines to Belarus and other export control measures.
Exclusion from Swift
Unlike Russian banks, Belarusian credit institutions have not yet been banned from the Swift international payment system, the EU official said, adding that this “is yet to come”. Some of the sanctions are widely expected to close loopholes in existing restrictive measures, particularly on sales of potash, a fertilizer made from potassium and a key export commodity. The EU already bans Belarusian potash exports, but according to diplomats, Minsk was able to export potash to the EU via third countries. The new sanctions will make this impossible, explained the EU representative.
The West accuses Belarus of having at least indirectly supported Russia in invading Ukraine. Russian troops were also advancing into the neighboring country from Belarusian territory.
Source: Nachrichten
