The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on 24 Belarusian individuals and organizations “because Belarus supported and facilitated the invasion” of Ukraine by Russia.
“Today’s action focuses on Belarus’s defense sector and financial institutions, two areas where it has especially close ties with Russia.”, reported the Treasury in a statement.
Belarus, a Russian ally that shares Ukraine’s northern border and is close to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, is home to tens of thousands of Russian troops who use its territory as a base.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said his armed forces are not taking part in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Kiev says Russia is attacking it with Belarusian support.
Among the targets of the sanctions are two major Belarusian state banks, Belinvestbank and Bank Dabrabyt.
Lukashenko’s governmentis endangering the sovereignty of Belarus by supporting a Russian invasion of UkraineTreasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
“The Treasury continues to disrupt the military and financial capabilities of Belarus through targeted sanctions”, he added.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced tough new sanctions against Russia in response to the invasion, including freezing the assets of major banks and cutting high-tech exports to the country.
The UK also announced sanctions against Belarus for supporting the invasion of Ukraine, as well as against Russia.
Source: Gestion
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