EU imposes full transaction ban on Belarus

The European Council has introduced a complete ban on transactions with Belarus, escalating its economic pressure on Minsk over its continued support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The measure, announced as part of a broader sanctions package adopted on July 18, significantly tightens financial and trade restrictions on Belarus, Caliber.Az reports via the EU Council website.

It includes an embargo on arms imports and the blacklisting of eight companies in the Belarusian military-industrial complex that have been directly contributing to Russia’s military efforts.

The Council also announced that Belarusian trade measures have now been fully aligned with those imposed on Russia, closing remaining loopholes and reinforcing the EU’s unified stance on accountability for aggression against Ukraine.

“The European Union is sending a strong message that there will be no tolerance for any form of complicity in Russia’s war,” the Council stated.

A reminder that the Council adopted its 18th package of economic and individual restrictive measures hitting hard on Russia’s energy, banking and military sectors, as well as trade with the EU on July 18, in what Council representative Kaja Kallas called the "strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date."

The package includes a significant set of 55 listings, consisting of 14 individuals and 41 entities in Russia, bringing the total number of individual listings to over 2 500.

By Sabina Mammadli