EU will continue to impose sanctions

British Foreign Secretary Willian Hague said he was “deeply disappointed” by the Belarus decision.

“The UK, together with its EU partners, has consistently made clear to Belarus that the EU would continue to impose further sanctions as long as political prisoners remained in place and the repression of civil society continued,” he said.

“I regret that there have been no positive developments in this respect and that, instead, the repression has continued unabated and further political prisoners have been detained.

“We remain committed to supporting the people of Belarus and willing to re-engage fully with Belarus once the conditions are right.

“In light of this most recent development, the UK has decided, in solidarity with all other EU member states, to recall for consultations its ambassador to Minsk and to summon the Belarusian ambassador to the UK to the Foreign Office.”