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Items tagged with: sanctions
The opposition has consistently said it sees Trump's outreach to #Lukashenko as a humanitarian effort [flattery or else punishment], but #EU #sanctions should stay in place.
"#US sanctions are about people. EU sanctions are about systemic change — stopping the war, enabling democratic transition, & ensuring accountability. These approaches do not contradict each other; they complement each other," exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in a statement.
#Sanctions were tightened again under President #Biden after #Lukashenko allowed #Belarus to serve as a staging ground for #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine in 2022.
The exiled Belarusian opposition expressed gratitude to #Trump [🙄] & said the fact that Lukashenko had agreed to release prisoners in return for the concessions on potash was proof of the effectiveness of [Biden’s] sanctions [again, not #tariffs. Tariffs are idiotic].
Trump's envoy, John Coale, had earlier told reporters in #Minsk: "Per the instructions of President Trump, we, the United States, will be lifting sanctions on potash." [as if #trump even know what potash is]
The #US under President #Biden & the #EU imposed wide-ranging #sanctions on #Belarus after Minsk launched a #violent crackdown on #protesters following a disputed #election in 2020, jailing nearly all opponents of Lukashenko who did not flee abroad.
#Sanctions not #tariffs, tyvm. Tariffs hurt the US people too.
#Belarus President Alexander #Lukashenko freed 123 prisoners on Saturday including #Nobel Peace Prize winner #AlesBialiatski & leading opposition figure #MariaKalesnikava after 2 days of talks with an “envoy” for #Trump, a US stmnt said.
In return, the US agreed to lift sanctions on Belarus #potash. Potash is a key component in fertilizers, & the fmr Soviet state is a leading global producer.