New punitive measures against the regime in Belarus are being discussed by the ambassadors of the European Union countries in Brussels on Wednesday, June 26.
The issue was promptly added to the agenda due to it being the final meeting chaired by Belgium, the current presiding nation of the Council of the EU. Hungary will assume the rotating presidency from July 1 onward.
"In recent months, it has become obvious that the main circumvention of sanctions [regarding Russia] takes place through Belarus," a diplomatic source told DW in Brussels. "When we negotiated the 14th package, we focused only on Russia, but there remains a loophole that needs to be closed."
Belgium is actively advocating for the implementation of new sanctions against Belarus. If these punitive measures are approved at the ambassador level on June 26, they could receive final approval at the EU summit in Brussels on June 27-28.
EU Ambassadors agreed in principle on a new package of sanctions targeting Belarus 🇧🇾.
— Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2024 (@EU2024BE) June 26, 2024
This package will strengthen our measures in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including combating circumvention of sanctions.
On June 26 NATO allies have also chosen Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next leader of NATO.
-924c3c302c27387e19f6c44aaeb98745.png "Maryna Kulakova")
