The EU seeks to unblock sanctions on Belarus and redouble them on Russia after the announcement of tactical nuclear weapons

BRUSSELS, March 27 (EUROPA PRESS) -

The European Union wants to unblock sanctions against Belarus and approve a new round of restrictions against Russia in response to the announcement of an agreement with Minsk for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil.

After the round of sanctions against Belarus for its collaboration with Russia in the Ukraine war has been blocked by divisions in the EU, several diplomatic sources hope that the new developments will be an impetus to advance on this front, as in the eleventh package of sanctions against Moscow, focused on reinforcing compliance with the measures already in place and closing the gaps in the current sanctions.

This Sunday, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, warned that the EU will respond with new sanctions if Russia finally sends nuclear weapons to Belarus. While NATO denounced the Kremlin's "dangerous and irresponsible" rhetoric and dismissed as "misleading" allusions to allied participation in a nuclear escalation.

The round of sanctions against Minsk, announced in early January by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is blocked in the Council's working bodies due to differences over approving exemptions to the trade in Belarusian potash to produce fertilizers in countries Africans, a measure the EU is considering to combat Russian propaganda that European sanctions affect global food security.

For countries like Poland or the Baltics, no pretext should be used to ease sanctions against Russian and Belarusian oligarchs, while the majority of Member States advocate applying these derogations because "they do not open a big door" and combat the Kremlin's narrative. "There are many guarantees to avoid abuses. Nobody wants to line the pockets of the oligarchs," said a diplomatic source.

In any case, within the EU they recognize the difficulty in agreeing on the measures against Minsk, which have been stuck in the working bodies for two months, although they consider that the latest events can influence to give a push to the debate.

"We have a package prepared, almost agreed between the Twenty-seven. Belarus has already done more than enough by aligning itself with Russia in this war. We hope to be able to move forward with this now," other diplomatic sources consulted have indicated.