Polish Briefing: The US considers sanctions against Belarus with the EU, including a ban on oil supplies

What goes on in Poland on the 13th of August.

The US will consider sanctions against Belarus with the EU, including a ban on oil supplies

The US State Department intends to coordinate the response to the events in Belarus with the European Union. It is considering sanctions or a blockade of US oil supplies.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked about what his country would do with oil supplies to Belarus after the local authorities brutally cracked down on the opposition after the rigged presidential election.

Radio Free Europe asked Pompeo about the future of US oil supplies to Belarus and the presence of the American ambassador in Minsk. – Well, we’re going to have to work through that. As you said, we were incredibly troubled by the election and deeply disappointed that it wasn’t more free and more fair. We’ve seen this behavior before, and we regret that this is how it’s transpired. Then we’ve watched the violence and the aftermath, peaceful protesters being treated in ways that are inconsistent with how they should be treated – said Pompeo

We haven’t settled out what the appropriate response is, but I can tell you this: We’ll work with our European friends, our freedom-loving friends here who are equally concerned about what took place. We want good outcomes for the Belarusian people and we’ll take actions consistent with that.

On August 12 and 13, Belarus was to receive the second oil shipment from the Naftan Refinery, delivered by the Polish Unimot and the American Getka. Talks are underway to launch long-term supplies through the Gdańsk oil terminal.