EU set to approve military sanctions against Belarus.
EU countries informally agreed to a package of military sanctions targeting Belarus on Tuesday, three EU diplomats told POLITICO.
The package will include restrictions on battlefield equipment, including aviation parts, two of the diplomats said. The exact items will mirror the sanctions against Russia — an effort to crack down on military components being illegally routed through Belarus to Russia.
The new Belarus sanctions are seen as a stepping stone toward a broader, more global deal to penalize Belarus, said the diplomats, who were granted anonymity to discuss the negotiations.
The talks are separate from another discussion over how to fully align the Belarusian sanctions with penalties against Moscow. Those negotiations have stalled over a push to exempt Belarusian fertilizer from EU sanctions. Most EU countries are in favor but Lithuania has been staunchly opposed, arguing the carveout would give President Alexander Lukashenko a lifeline and do little to alleviate food insecurity.
Two of the diplomats said EU ambassadors were able to approve the fresh military sanctions after linking the issue to another long-stalled deal to strengthen EU relations with 79 African and Caribbean countries.
The renewal of that pact, the so-called post-Cotonou agreement, had been left in limbo after Poland blocked the deal. But by tying the two negotiations together, the Spanish EU presidency, which oversaw the talks, was able to get the EU’s eastern flank on board and get sign-off on both deals.
Next, the diplomats expect the European Commission to send EU diplomats the sanctions text as soon as Wednesday. After that, the package will wind its way to EU deputy ambassadors, who are expected to approve the agreement at a meeting next week.
Source: POLITICO
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