The US has announced a ban on Belarus on Friday.
The US has made this announcement after Belarus has changed the route of a European flight and arrested an opposition activist and journalist from the plane.
In his statement, White House Press Secretary Jane Saki has spoken about taking stern action against Belarus. Jane Saki has said in her statement that changing the route of Irish Airlines’ Ryanair flight on 23 May and arresting journalist activist Roman Protasevich is an open violation of international rules. The US has taken several steps against Belarus in recent weeks.
The US has said that it is working closely with the European Union to ban important members of the Alexander Lukashenko regime in Belarus.
The sanctions have been imposed against nine state-owned companies of Belarus, which will be effective from June 2 this year. This ban has been imposed against suppressing protests in support of democracy.
Jane Saki said that the Finance Ministry is working on many more restrictions to support corruption, violations of human rights and curbs against those who attack democracy.
The countries of the west are very angry with the changing of the flight route from Belarus. Since then, European Union countries have been avoiding using Belarus’ airspace.
Apart from this, America has issued a warning to its citizens not to go to Belarus. Also, American flights have been told to be very cautious when passing through Belarus airspace.
The White House has confirmed that the US is working together with the countries of Europe against the Belarus government.
Jane Saki has asked the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to allow an international investigation for the May 23 sentence. Along with this, demanded that all political prisoners be released immediately and talk to opposition leaders for free and fair presidential elections.
Russia and Belarus have a strong relationship
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko have very good relations. In every difficult time, Alexander Lukashenko asks for help from Putin.
Putin and Alexander Lukashenko have met on Friday. This is the first meeting of Alexander Lukashenko and Putin in trouble, after changing the route of a plane in Europe. The two leaders met at a Russian Black Sea resort in Sochi.
Putin has warmly welcomed Lukashenko. Putin has agreed with Lukashenko that the anger of the West is overflowing with feelings about the plane. Putin said that he was very happy to see Lukashenko.
However, Putin carefully selected the words in front of journalists. Putin said that when the plane of Bolivian President Evo Morales stopped in 2013, the countries of the West did not make an uproar. Putin said that the president was taken out of the plane but everyone was silent then.
Morales’ plane took off from Moscow and its route was changed. He was stopped in Vienna for hours due to the absconding American whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Lukashenko said that the countries of the west want unrest in Belarus. Lukashenko said, “Efforts are being made to revive the same nuisance that took place in August last year.”
In August last year, a large number of people took to the streets for the disputed presidential election. Lukashenko said, “It is clear that the countries of the west want unrest in Belarus again.”
Lukashenko brought a briefcase with him to Russia. He said that he wants to show President Putin some documents related to the Ryanair sentence. The President of Belarus also said that he was grateful to Putin for his support in the recent crisis.
Putin and Lukashenko held talks for five hours but no announcement was made about its results. Both the leaders praised the deepening bilateral ties.
Putin said, “We are building a union state. We are moving in this direction with confidence. Our citizens are also getting results.”
Russia and Belarus have created a union state. The economy and soldiers of the two countries have been added to it, but Putin is engaged in integration. In the past few years, Lukashenko’s relationship with Russia was not good. He had been rejecting the principle of integration with Russia.
But Lukashenko has very few options left after the plane incident. There have been regular visits between Putin and Lukashenko since August last year. Lukashenko has been the President of Belarus for the last three decades. A large number of people took to the streets over the disputed presidential election held last year. This protest went on for months. This was a historic protest against Lukashenko.
It is said that 66-year-old Lukashenko brutally crushed the voices raised in the protest. In the face of growing opposition from western countries, his close proximity to Putin kept increasing. Many people died during a demonstration in Belarus. Thousands were arrested. Also, hundreds of people were also tortured in the jail.
On Sunday, a dramatic confrontation ensued between EU leaders and Belarus over changing the flight route. EU leaders say that the arrest of 26-year-old opposition activist and journalist Roman Protasevich from the flight is like hijacking the plane.
After this incident, many flights between Russia and the EU have also been canceled. Russia has rejected the talk of flights leaving Belarus airspace. Russia is giving this as a technical reason, but Russia had expressed concern about leaving Belarus airspace.
It is believed that Russia has said that due to political reasons, the confrontation will prove dangerous for the passengers. At the same time, the government of Belarus claims that there was intelligence about the explosion of the Ryanair flight, so the plane was stopped.
Protasevich helped organize protests against Lukashenko last year. He was arrested on a flight in Minsk with his 23-year-old Russian girlfriend Sofia Saphega. Opposition leaders of Belarus have demanded a more stringent ban on the Lukashenko government from Europe and America.
