Exclusive-EU close to deal on new round of Belarus sanctions, diplomats say

Hundreds of migrants gather at the Belarus side of the border with Poland near Kuznica Bialostocka, Poland, in this photograph released by the Polish Defence Ministry, November 8, 2021. MON/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is close to imposing more sanctions on Belarus, targeting some 30 individuals and entities including the foreign minister and Belarusian airline Belavia, with approval as early as next week, three EU diplomats said.

The EU and NATO accuse President Alexander Lukashenko of using migrants as a weapon to pressure the West by sending people fleeing the Middle East to Minsk and then onto the borders of Poland and the Baltic states.