Belarus opposition calls on EU to close sanctions ‘loopholes’

The Belaruskaly potash plant. Belarus is a major producer, but the EU’s sanctions only apply to around 15% of its exports to the bloc.

An aide to the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called on the EU to “close loopholes” in its sanctions on Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. The EU approved sanctions last week targeting industries that bankroll the regime to punish the Belarusian president over the forced landing of a Ryanair flight to arrest a dissident, but promises to make it “run dry” have been called into question after it emerged that they apply only to about 15% of Belarusian potash exports to the bloc.