The White House has announced that the U.S. will reimpose sanctions on Belarus next week after the forced diversion of a Ryanair flight to the country on May 23 and the arrest of an opposition journalist on board.
The RyanAir pilots were told by air traffic controllers in Belarus that there was a bomb on board the flight and they had to land at Minsk airport, as a ruse to arrest a prominent activist.
The U.S. is also coordinating with the European Union and other allies to develop a list of targeted sanctions against key members of Lukashenko's regime, and the Treasury Department is developing a new executive order for Biden that would give the president increased authority to impose sanctions on"elements" of the regime, Psaki said.
The actions, Psaki said, are"in response to the events of May 23 and the Lukashenka regime’s continuing attack on fundamental freedoms."