EU agrees on new sanctions against Belarus

The EU on Wednesday agreed on new sanctions against Belarus in a bid to curb evasion of penalties imposed on Russia for its war on Ukraine.

"EU Ambassadors agreed in principle on a new package of sanctions targeting Belarus," said Belgium, which holds the EU's rotating presidency.

"This package will strengthen our measures in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including combating circumvention of sanctions," it added.

Welcoming the development, EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen said: "With this package we increase the pressure on both countries & make our sanctions against Russia even more effective."

"Belarus must no longer serve as a route to circumvent our sanctions against Russia," she added.

Before Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine in February, the EU had already targeted Belarus over its crackdown on protests.

The 27-member bloc has hit Russia with 14 packages of sanctions over the Ukraine war.