Ukraine has aligned itself, along with other third countries, with the European Union's restrictive measures against Belarus.
"The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine align themselves with this Council Decision," the EU's High Representative said in a November 20 declaration on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain third countries concerning restrictive measures against Belarus.
Read alsoUkraine not to slap sanctions on Lukashenko – media
"They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision. The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it," the declaration said.
The Council on October 2, 2020, adopted Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/1388[1] implementing Council Decision 2012/642/CFSP.
The Council Decision adds 40 individuals to the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures set out in the Annex to Decision 2012/642/CFSP.
Protests in Belarus: Key events
- On August 9, presidential elections were held in Belarus. The country's Central Election Commission announced the final election results. In particular, 80.1% of voters supported incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, 10.1% voted for his rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, 1.67% for Anna Kanopatskaya, 1.2% for Andrey Dmitriev, and 1.14% for Sergei Cherechnya. Some 4.59% voted against all candidates.
- Thousands have taken to the streets to protest what many believe was a rigged vote count. Riot police violently crack down on protesters, detain them and open politically motivated cases against opposition-minded activists.
- The European Union declared non-recognition of the Belarus election results and imposed sanctions against Belarusian officials in response to vote rigging and the use of violence against protesters.
- On September 23, a secret ceremony of Lukashenko's inauguration was held in Minsk.
- On November 6, the European Union imposed sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko and 14 Belarusian officials. As indicated on the website of the European Council, in general, sanctions were imposed against 59 people from Belarus.
