White House authorities released a new set of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday but also handed out punishment on its ally, Belarus, who joined the war on Ukraine in support of Moscow.
Officials handed out expansion of export restrictions on technology and software that were currently in place for Russia to Belarus. The move is believed to "significantly degrade both countries' ability to sustain their military aggression and project power, said the White House.
Sanctions on Belarus
Last week, Russian military forces began the invasion of Ukraine, using the north area, Belarus, as their entry point. On Sunday, a referendum was approved in Belarus that revoked the country's non-nuclear status, which potentially signals the opening of the door for Russia's nuclear weapons to be deployed in the region.
On Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Thea Rozman Kendler said that Belarus' choice to enable and support Russia's horrific assault on Ukraine and its citizens has justifiably drawn international condemnation. Furthermore, the White House took steps to further economically isolate Russia by handing out export controls on oil refining equipment, as per Fox Business.
On top of the United States' sanctions, the European Union has also handed out sanctions on at least 22 Belarusian officials and military personnel for their involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. The EU wrote in a document published on Wednesday that the recipients of the sanctions were high-ranking individuals.
The sanctions were handed out "in view of the gravity of the situation and of the fact that Belarus is participating in a Russian unprovoked invasion against Ukraine by allowing military aggression from its territory." The bloc also handed out restrictions on Minsk by banning certain imports from Belarus into the EU and EU's exports of machinery to Belarus.
According to CNN, in a Twitter post on Wednesday, the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union announced that certain sectors of the Belarusian economy, particularly the wood, steel, and potash sectors, would be impacted by the measures.
Russia-Ukraine War
Roughly 70% of exports from Belarus are affected by the EU's restrictions on imports, and affects cement, rubber, fuels, and closes loopholes for some of the existing sanctions on the nation. Furthermore, U.S. officials said that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was ordering the preparation of military troops that will be deployed into Ukraine.
EU's restrictions aim to stop exports to Belarus that could be used to manufacture weapons in areas such as advanced technologies, computers, electronics, telecoms, sensors, and lasers. While the region's banks have not been affected by the sanctions, one European official said that Belarusian financial establishments being banned from accessing the international SWIFT system was a further step that will come in the future, The Hill reported.
The situation comes as Ukrainian officials announced that the first key Southern City has fallen to Russian aggression. Moscow's troops have seized the port city of Kherson, which is seen as a significant moment in the battle for the south region of the country. One United Nations official said that more than a million people have already fled Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
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