EU Prepares To Slap 'Hard-Hitting' Sanctions On Belarus - German Foreign Minister

The European Union will continue to discuss the illegal migration crisis on the border with Belarus and has prepared proposals for introducing "very hard-hitting" sanctions against Minsk, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2021) The European Union will continue to discuss the illegal migration crisis on the border with Belarus and has prepared proposals for introducing "very hard-hitting" sanctions against Minsk, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday.

"We have intensively discussed the topic of Belarus, the fact that (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko uses migrants and refugees as a tool to put pressure on the European Union. We will not put up with this," Maas told reporters following a meeting of the EU foreign ministers.

The EU members will continue to discuss this issue "over the next few days and weeks," the German top diplomat noted.

"There are proposals to introduce new sanctions against Belarus, and very hard-hitting ones, on the table," Maas said, adding that Brussels will further pressure airlines that carry migrants and asylum seekers to Minsk.

Earlier on Monday, Maas accused Lukashenko of running a human trafficking ring and threatened a new set of sanctions against Belarusian air carriers.

EU nations bordering Belarus raised alarm in summer over rising numbers of illegal border crossings. They accuse Belarus of flying would-be migrants to Minsk from where they are marched to the EU frontier. The EU claims that Lukashenko is trying to get back at it for economic sanctions, but the president denies it.