Brussels intends to toughen sanctions on Minsk if the elected President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko does not respond to EU demands, the German FM Heiko Maas said in an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Die Welt, citing its own sources, reported Friday that Lukashenko will not be included in the EU sanctions list, primarily because of Germany's position, since Berlin fears that his inclusion in the blacklist would mean a complete cessation of the dialogue with Minsk.