WASHINGTON (Reuters] – On Thursday, the United States imposed new restrictions on transactions in Belarusian sovereign debt issuances and expanded sanctions. The sanctions were placed on 20 people and 12 entities. Washington is increasing its pressure on Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, these punitive steps were meant to inflict costs on Belarus’ government, including for human rights abuses, corruption and orchestrating irregular migration.

The statement said that the United States is standing alongside international allies and partners in inflicting costs on the Lukashenka regime for its deplorable conduct, which includes migrant smuggling, by Andrea Gacki (director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control).

The Treasury issued an order restricting Americans to transactions in, provision of or other dealings in the new Belarusian government debt that has a maturity of over 90 days. This directive was issued Thursday by the Ministry of Finance and Development Bank.

Washington also placed sanctions on Belarus’s state-owned tourist company, Republican Unitary Enterprise Tsentrkurort and seven Belarusian government officials in response to the crisis at the border between Poland and Belarus.