Belarus calls new US sanctions ‘irresponsible’

Minsk: Belarus hit out Tuesday against the US decision to reimpose sanctions on nine state-owned companies after President Alexander Lukashenko ignored warnings to release political prisoners held after pro-democracy protests.

"We regret the American decision to reimpose the sanctions," a foreign affairs ministry statement said. "The interests of the business world, of Belarusians and of ordinary Americans, of security and stability n the region have no importance for Washington," the ministry said.

"Our region alone will once again have to pay the consequences of these irresponsible acts." US President Joe Biden’s administration had warned it would go ahead with the sanctions unless Belarus released prisoners and, on Monday, gave the green light for the measures.

Washington says the nine industrial and petrochemical firms finance and support the regime in Minsk. Since 2015, the United States had regularly issued waivers on sanctions for the companies, including oil firm Belneftekhim, in recognition of small progress in Belarus, where Lukashenko has been in power for two and a half decades. The ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory for a sixth term in August elections that were widely criticised internationally and by the opposition as fraudulent.