EU backs Belarus sanctions
EU leaders agreed to impose sanctions against members of the Belarus regime yesterday and fired a warning at Turkey over its gas drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean. In a summit statement hammered out over more than six hours of haggling, the 27 leaders warned Ankara it could face "immediate" sanctions if it persists with gas exploration in Cypriot waters. The statement was enough for Nicosia to lift its veto on separate, long-delayed sanctions over the crisis in Belarus, which officials say will now come into effect. But EU leaders voted against imposing restrictions on President Lukashenko himself, instead issuing travel bans and freezing the assets of some 40 Belarusian officials.
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