Biden Warned of New Sanctions against Regime in Belarus
- 26.05.2021, 7:33
The United States will introduce them together with its allies.
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that the United States would impose sanctions on Belarus in connection with the forced landing of an Irish airline Ryanair in Minsk and the arrest of the co-founder of the opposition Telegram channel Nexta. Biden said this in an interview with reporters, leaving the White House, reports the Voice of America.
New sanctions against Belarus in connection with this incident are already being discussed, Biden confirmed, answering a journalist's question about what the United States is going to do in connection with the behavior of the Lukashenka regime.
“I would not like to speculate on this topic until we [make a final decision],” the president added, without going into details.
A few hours earlier, Biden called the actions of the Belarusian authorities “outrageous” and promised to give an “appropriate” response in coordination with the European Union. The president said the Ryanair incident was "a direct insult to international norms."
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms both the re-routing of the aircraft and the subsequent removal and arrest of Pratasevich,” Biden said. “This outrageous incident and the video of Pratasevich, which appears to have been recorded under pressure, are shameful attacks as on political dissent and freedom of the press.”
The President added that the United States joined other countries in the world demanding the release of Pratasevich and hundreds of political prisoners illegally arrested by the Lukashenka regime.
“I join numerous calls for an international investigation to establish all the facts in this case,” Biden said.
The actions of the Belarusian authorities have caused outrage in the international community.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that the heads of state and government of the European Union during the EU summit agreed to expand economic sanctions against Belarus. As reported by Radio Svaboda, the sanctions list will include new persons and organizations involved in the incident with the forced landing of the Ryanair plane in Minsk.