Biden Administration Weighs New Sanctions Against Belarus

The Biden administration is thinking about a new spherical of financial sanctions focusing on Belarus and its authoritarian chief immediately after a foremost dissident appealed to U.S. officers for stronger U.S. action, in accordance to contributors in conferences very last 7 days in Washington.

The new sanctions would be in addition to punitive steps imposed by the administration before this calendar year and would aim to additional isolate the chief, Alexander Lukashenko, nearly a calendar year immediately after he initiated a crackdown on a well-liked rebellion in the region, in accordance to a Belarusian political adviser.

The administration’s deliberations come on the heels of a go to to Washington very last 7 days by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who opposed Mr. Lukashenko in very last year’s contested election. In conferences with lawmakers and senior administration officers, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya pressed for more durable sanctions.

Ms. Tsikhanouskaya satisfied with President Biden’s leading two international-coverage aides, countrywide stability adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Condition Antony Blinken. Mr. Biden didn’t meet with the dissident chief.

Franak Viacorka, a senior adviser to Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, claimed Condition Section officers indicated their intent to enact new sanctions, specially on the Belarusian potash and crude-oil sectors, which Ms. Tsikhanouskaya claimed are close to Mr. Lukashenko, in addition to staying important areas of the country’s economy.