Economics

Europe's Last Dictator Back in Favor as EU Courts Belarus

EU scraps asset freeze, travel ban on 170 Belarus officials
Lukashenko is wooed by EU to counter Kremlin's regional sway

Alexander Lukashenko
Photographer: Hoang Dinh Nam/AFP via Getty Images

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By James G Neuger and Aliaksandr Kudrytski

February 15, 2016 at 3:43 PM UTC

Updated on

February 15, 2016 at 4:26 PM UTC

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European Union governments scrapped sanctions on leaders of Belarus in an effort to pry the former Soviet republic out of the shadow of the Kremlin.

Asset freezes and travel bans on 170 officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko, were revoked by EU foreign ministers on Monday in Brussels. The decision made permanent a suspension in effect since October.