The United States has moved to punish Belarus for its ongoing support of Russia amid the latter’s invasion of Ukraine – Photo: Associated Press/Patrick Semansky

American sanctions against Belarus will be extended for a further year today.

The United States has repeatedly levied sanctions against Belarus for its role in supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The latest set of sanctions comes after Belarus introduced a referendum that would end the country’s status as a nuclear-free zone. Russian military leaders involved in cracking down on Russian protesters and dissent in Ukraine were also targeted in the sanctions.

Washington previously applied sanctions against Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko and his family in response to human rights abuses committed against migrants in December 2021 on the Belarus-Poland border.

Staunch Belarusian support for Russia is expected to continue as Lukashenko has given the Russian military access to Belarusian territory, military bases and hospitals. Currently, Russia and Belarus are building facilities to store Russian tactical nuclear weapons, to be completed by July. Since August 2020, the Belarusian President has become increasingly dependent on Russia for his political and personal survival. As the two countries grow closer together, and as Minsk becomes increasingly dependent on Moscow, Vladimir Putin will likely direct efforts towards political unification of Belarus and Russia by 2030.