US imposes sanctions against key members of the Belarus govt following the country's move to forcefully divert a passenger jet to land to arrest an opposition journalist on board
"An attempt is underway to rock the boat to reach the level of last August," he said, referring to anti-regime protests following a disputed election.The Belarus strongman, who arrived with a briefcase, said he wanted to show Putin "some documents" related to the Ryanair incident and thanked him for his support in the latest standoff with the West.
Sunday's plane diversion was a dramatic escalation, with EU leaders accusing Minsk of essentially hijacking a European flight to arrest Protasevich.The overflight ban has led to several cancellations of air journeys between Russia and Europe, after Russian authorities rejected plans that would have skipped Belarusian airspace.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc was monitoring whether this was a broader policy from Russia, but Moscow insisted the disruptions were in no way political. Protasevich, who helped organize the demonstrations against Lukashenko's rule last year, was arrested along with Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega, 23, after the plane landed in the city.Borrell has said proposals are "on the table" to target key sectors of the Belarusian economy including its oil products and potash sectors.