Thread by @MehreenKhn

EU leaders prepare to talk Belarus at #euco tonight. MS like Poland and others want to consider sweeping economic sanctions against Lukashenko regime but that is unlikely to win favour with 🇫🇷🇩🇪. More viable option at this stage are targeted measures against 🇧🇾 individuals/biz

Lithuania's Gitanas Nauseda arrives at #euco calling on EU to embrace three decisions tonight against Belarus
- closing of Belarusian airspace to EU airlines
- declaration of Belarusian airspace as "unsafe" for civil flights
- extension of framework against sanctions

Latest version of #euco draft conclusions call for extension of sanctions regime against 🇧🇾 and banning of Belarusian Airlines flights at EU airports

Despite general German reticence at sweeping sanctions, Merkel arrives at #euco broadly echoing calls for leaders to discus blacklisting of 🇧🇾 figures and a EU flight ban for Belavia airlines

Draft #euco statement almost certainly going chopped and changed over the course of the night. The banning of Belavia flights also carries risk for EU as 🇧🇾 regime has already shown today it can hold EU citizens in the country hostage by disrupting flights out of Belarus

Von der Leyen says sanctions being considered by EU would target:
- individuals involved in the hijacking
-businesses who support the Lukashenko regime
- sanctions against 🇧🇾 aviation sector

Adds €3bn in aid for Belarus will remain frozen until the country turns democratic

EU leaders have been told not to use their phones to communicate outside the room during tonight's Belarus discussion

https://twitter.com/BarendLeyts/status/1396885307916800005?s=19

EU leaders have had to put their phones in envelopes during tonight's #euco session on Belarus

Mother of Roman Protasevich has said her son is in critical condition in hospital after his detention by Belarussian authorities yesterday #euco

https://twitter.com/TadeuszGiczan/status/1396868542654566402?s=19

Images of Roman Protasevich on pro-government media shows his face visibly bruised as he "confesses" to organising riots

https://twitter.com/HannaLiubakova/status/1396898727676239875?s=19

Final.adopted #euco conclusions add sentence on need for "targeted economic sanctions" to be proposed by Commission without delay

https://twitter.com/BarendLeyts/status/1396916367031476224?s=19

So in the end, EU leaders at #euco beef up their intentions hit Lukashenko regime with targeted economic sanctions as options like flight bans raise concerns about retaliation against EU citizens.

. @ft take on tonight's #euco. EU leaders emerge with promise to do more against Belarus than 12hrs ago. But no consensus on which businesses or individuals should be hit with "targeted" sanctions. 🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇹 wary of sweeping measures that hurt their companies ft.com/content/147532…

EU leaders, whose phones have been sealed up in evelopes and taken out of the room, are now discussing Russia. Threatening to be long night ahead #euco

Freudian slip...? Charles Michel at conclusion of #euco says he won't allow Belarus "to play Russian roulette with the life of innocent civilians" 🧐

Spot the difference 🇷🇺

https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1396971009539026944?s=19