Press Service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry answers the question of the International News Agency “Russia Today” about the expansion of the U.S. sanctions against Belarus

Russia Today: How can you comment on the US decision taken at the end of last week to expand sanctions against Belarus, which also affect two major machine–building enterprises, namely MAZ and BelAZ? 

Essentially, such a decision by the American authorities did not come as a surprise to the Belarusian side. Hard to expect anything else from a country that, by inertia, has positioned itself as  the arbiter of the world's destinies, continues to believe in its own exclusivity, infallibility and impunity.

Something else is indicative. The imposition of sanctions against successful civilian enterprises in Belarus is the height of hypocrisy of the U.S. Administration, whose representatives are eager to declare their "support" for the Belarusian people at every opportunity. We doubt that thousands of ordinary workers of our flagship factories coveted such foreign assistance and support that comes in the form of absolutely illegal and groundless sanctions.

At the same time, we are convinced that the MAZ and BelAZ teams, which already have considerable experience in working under sanctions pressure, will successfully manage any new challenges. 

As real life shows, any attempts to economically isolate and suffocate our country are doomed to failure from the outset. The Republic of Belarus was, is and will be a sovereign state pursuing an independent foreign policy. And no sanctions, restrictions or threats will force us to deviate from the intended course and act contrary to our national interests.
 

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