EU, US, UK, Canada unite for sanctions on Belarus

The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada joined forces on Monday to impose sanctions on several senior officials in Belarus over the forced diversion to Minsk of a passenger plane travelling between two EU countries last month.

Among those targeted were close associates of President Alexander Lukashenko, those accused of helping to violently suppress peaceful protests since last year and others alleged to have orchestrated fraud during the elections.

At a meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers also prepared a series of economic measures that are aimed at hitting Lukashenko and his allies.

"We will now aim to adopt them swiftly, after the guidance of the European Union Council," EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said at a new conference after chairing the meeting.

He added that the EU would "continue putting pressure on the Lukashenko regime."

The EU has gradually ratcheted up sanctions since Lukashenko – dubbed the last dictator in Europe – won a sixth term last August.

But the 27-nation bloc has taken a harder approach since the Ryanair incident, and over the country's alleged use of migrants to pressure neighbouring Lithuania, which has provided a safe-haven to Belarusian opposition figures and is one of Lukashenko’s most vocal critics.