On Wednesday, 26 July, EU ambassadors agreed on a new set of sanctions against Belarus. The announcement was made by Rikard Jozwiak, the Europe Editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, via Twitter.
"EU ambassadors have just approved sanctions on Belarus. Mainly aviation and dual-use goods. More important: no derogation for Belarusian potash. But expect this question to come up again in the autumn," the journalist tweeted.
As well, the agreement on sanctions was reported by the twitter account of Spain's presidency of the Council of the European Union:
#COREPERII | Today, EU ambassadors agreed on adopting restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in the Russian agression against Ukraine. The measures include listings of individuals and entities.
— Presidencia española del Consejo de la UE (@eu2023es) July 26, 2023
The sanctions were proposed in response to human rights violations in Belarus leading up to the third anniversary of the country's presidential elections, which falls on 9 August. Simultaneously, another sanctions package concerning Minsk's involvement in the Russian aggression against Ukraine is also being discussed.
The EU has already imposed six rounds of sanctions against Belarus in the past, with the most recent package taking effect a year ago. The debate over further restrictive measures against Minsk due to its role in Russia's war on Ukraine has been ongoing within the EU for several months.
