EU says sanctions an option to tackle Belarus people smugglers

Josep Borrell, vice president of the European commission in charge of coordinating the external action of the European Union, delivers a speech at the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, June 8, 2021. Jean-Francois Badias/Pool via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will consider sanctions against migrant smugglers and those involved in human trafficking to address a surge in "irregular" border crossings from Belarus, the bloc's top diplomat on Friday said.

Lithuania, an EU member state, has reported an uptick in illegal border crossings from neighbouring Belarus and accused Minsk of flying in migrants from abroad and sending them over the border.