President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday that the United States would impose sanctions on Belarus over the forced landing of Irish Ryanair in Minsk and the arrest of a co-founder of the opposition telegram channel Nexta. According to Reuters, Biden said this in an interview with reporters, leaving the White House.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – May 26, 2021 – International News
New sanctions against Belarus in connection with this incident are already being discussed, Biden confirmed, answering a journalist’s question about what the United States is going to do in connection with the behavior of the Lukashenko regime.
“I would not like to speculate on this topic until we (do not make a final decision),” the president added, without going into details.
Hours earlier, Biden called the actions of the Belarusian authorities “outrageous” and promised to give an “appropriate” response in coordination with the European Union. The president said the Ryanair incident was a “direct violation of international norms.”
“The United States strongly condemns both the rerouting and the subsequent disembarkation and arrest of Protasevich,” Biden said. dissent and freedom of the press. ”
The president added that the United States had joined other countries in the world demanding the release of Protasevich and hundreds of political prisoners illegally arrested by the Lukashenko regime.
“I join in the numerous calls for an international investigation to establish all the facts of this case,” Biden said.
Starting at 00:00 on May 26, Ukraine suspended flights to Belarus. Ukrainian airlines and planes are prohibited from flying in the airspace of the Republic of Belarus.
On May 23, at about 3 p.m., a Ryanair Athens-Vilnius plane made an emergency landing at Minsk airport after receiving a report of a mine. Roman Protasevich, a co-founder of the NEXTA Telegram channel, was on board the plane and was detained.
The command to take the plane in Minsk was given personally by Alexander Lukashenko, the Telegram channel “Pool One” reported. After boarding, all passengers were taken off the plane, Protasevich was taken aside, and his belongings were taken to the runway.
The Russian service of the BBC reported that in addition to Roman Protasievich, a Russian woman was detained in Minsk. It may be about Sofia Sapieha, Protasevich’s girlfriend.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus stated on May 24 that the detained Protasevich was in a pre-trial detention center in Minsk.
The incident caused a huge international response and an angry reaction from many Western leaders, politicians, and diplomats, who demanded the release of the opposition journalist and an international investigation into the incident.
Read also: Biden Tests a New Electric Car at a Plant in Michigan
Source: Ukrgate
