Zakharova considers Tikhanovskaya's call for US sanctions "unprecedented meanness"

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova considers the call by Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to the US Senate to impose sanctions against enterprises such as Belaruskali and the Mozyr oil refinery as "unprecedented meanness." She wrote about it in Telegram.

“Belarusians work at these enterprises! How can you ask for targeted hits on people, on their own citizens, who have been creating an internal product for years, decades ?! Zakharova said.

Earlier, Tikhanovskaya, during an online speech to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, called for expanding sanctions against “accomplices of [Belarusian President Alexander] Lukashenko who finance the regime, including enterprises such as Belaruskali and the Mazyr oil refinery, identify sources of foreign funding for the regime and target sanctions on them. She also proposed to discuss the Belarusian crisis at the G7, NATO and EU-US summits, as well as at the meeting of the Russian and US presidents. In addition, the oppositionist called for the development of a US aid package. “These actions could become an impetus for the start of the transit of power – this is exactly what the Belarusians demand,” she believes.

On June 8, US President Joe Biden extended sanctions against Belarus for a year. The restrictions were introduced back in 2006 by George W. Bush after the presidential elections in Belarus, which were won by Lukashenka. In the EU and the US, the results of the elections were not recognized. American citizens and companies were prohibited from providing financing, goods or services to persons and companies that fell under sanctions, in particular, Lukashenka himself, Belneftekhim, Belshina, Grodno Azot, Grodno Khimvolokno, Lakokraska, " Naftan", "Polotsk-Fiberglass" and the Belarusian Oil Trading House.