Robin Emmott

BRUSSELS. (Reuters). – Three EU diplomats stated that the European Union was close to imposing further sanctions on Belarus. The EU is targeting around 30 people and entities, including Belavia’s foreign minister. This could be approved as soon as next week.

NATO and EU allege President Alexander Lukashenko used migrants as a tool to exert pressure on the West, sending refugees from the Middle East and Minsk onto the Baltic borders.

New sanctions will be imposed on Belarusian officials who, according to the EU, organized the arrivals of migrants in retaliation for the sanctions placed upon Minsk’s human rights violations.

In a critical step, 27 EU Ambassadors have agreed to formalize Wednesday’s agreement that growing numbers of migrants near Belarus’ border to Poland constitute “hybrid war” and will serve as a legal foundation for building sanctions.

Minsk rejects any Western allegations of wrongdoing and denies that such operations were conducted. However, sanctions against senior officials have not succeeded in weakening Lukashenko’s control. He has been in power since 1994. Moscow is close to him.

Diplomats stated that the EU is also looking at extending economic sanctions against Belarus, which were imposed in July. They targeted Belarus’ main reinsurance industry and BelarusRe’s main company.

As the EU responds to growing tension with Belarus, the fifth package of travel bans and asset freezes would apply to Belarusian business and state officials.

EU officials and President Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, call for more stringent measures. This includes a clampdown on foreign airlines suspected of transporting migrants from Belarus to Minsk.

Vladimir Makei (Foreign Minister) defended Belarus’ records at the United Nations General Assembly, September. He is now one of several senior officials set to face sanctions. The ministry is being accused by diplomats of issuing Belarusian visas for non-EU nationals such as Syrians or Iraqis.

Following Minsk’s forced landing of a Ryanair flight in order to apprehend a Belarusian opposition journalist, the EU ban Belavia as a state-owned airline from EU airspace. Direct sanctions against the airline will prevent them from leasing aircraft from Irish and Danish firms.

The EU is still unsure if the sanctions should be applied to existing or new contracts.

Additional sanctions in Belarus this month will bring the total number under travel and asset bans to nearly 200, including Lukashenko’s sons as well as over a dozen companies and institutions.