President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko will not be put on the EU sanctions list, primarily because of the respective position of Germany, as well as of France and Italy, Die Welt reported citing its own sources.

Berlin, Paris, and Rome had stated that despite all the circumstances, the channels of communication with Lukashenko should be open, as they believe that his inclusion in this “blacklist” would mean a complete cessation of dialogue with Minsk.

At an informal meeting in Berlin on August 27 and 28, the EU foreign ministers had decided to conclude the procedure of sanctions against Belarus as soon as possible.