US joins EU in Belarus sanctions

THE European Union was joined by the United States yesterday in imposing sanctions on Belarus in retaliation for a crackdown on political protesters after an election that both said was fraudulent.

EU leaders slapped expanded sanctions on Belarus and condemned a crackdown against opposition protesters in Minsk.

The 25 European leaders said the March 19 presidential vote that returned President Alexander Lukashenko to office was “fundamentally flawed”, adding that they would “take restrictive measures against those ... responsible for the violation of international electoral standards”.