Elusive consensus: EU sanctions 44 Belarus officials & Russian Entities, Individuals Responsible For Kerch Strait Rail Bridge
Last week the EU managed to overcome Cyprus’ veto and impose sanctions for repression and election rigging against 40 Belorusian individuals, however notably leaving Alexander Lukashenko out of the list. The restricting measures will encapsulate the travel ban and asset freeze. As noted by EU diplomats, Lukashenko might end up on the list if he refuses to negotiate with the opposition and to held new elections.
Similarly, Canada and the U.K. announced sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko and Belarusian officials responsible for the election fraud and ongoing violent repressions. The U.S. also joined and imposed the sanctions on Interior Minister Karaev and seven other Belarusian officials. The reciprocal sanctions against the European Union were also adopted by Belarus and Russia.
However, among other sanctions-related achievements, the EU managed to expand sanctions against Russia. The Council singled out two individuals and the asset freeze on four companies responsible for the construction of the Kerch Strait railway bridge. The railway bridge was built to connect Russia mainland and the illegally Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula and was put into operation in December 2019.
The first sanctions were introduced in 2014 and were updated right after the opening of the road bridge in 2018, which hit 6 companies involved in the road bridge construction. In total, the sanctions will target now 177 individuals and 48 entities.
As the demonstrations continue, Lukashenko’s apparatus keeps intimidating peaceful democratic protests, detaining political opponents, trying to silence the dissents by revoking the accreditation of all foreign media sources. Meanwhile, Russia keeps testing international rule of law and undermining the world order.
When it comes to Russia, the appeasement approach should not be even on the Western’s radar. Instead, ‘sanctions against Russia should be proportional to Moscow’s violations of international law and steadily increased until it changes course’. EU’s Sanctions Policy should remain at the vanguard of the deterrence toolkit employed in response to the Kremlin’s encroachment. So far EU consensus and credibility of the bloc’s foreign policy remains to be fairly vague. Only well-coordinated actions by Western allies against malign actions of authoritarian leaders will help to safeguard democratic values, hold Belarus and Russia accountable for their actions, and usher in a just peace in Ukraine.
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