The European Union "has practically decided" to impose targeted sanctions on Belarusian officials, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said after the European Council summit on Wednesday.
"Practically, the European Union has decided to apply targeted sanctions against Belarusian officials who were directly involved in vote-rigging and repression against peaceful people in Belarus," he told reporters on Wednesday.
Sanctions on these officials will be imposed "in the near future", he added.
According to Nausėda, EU leaders were united in their assessment of the situation in Belarus.
"I have to admit and state with great satisfaction that we spoke with one voice and took a principled stance on the developments in Belarus," he said. "All of my colleagues agreed that the [presidential] election was rigged and not free and that its outcome can't be recognised as legitimate."
"Lithuania's name was mentioned numerous times" during the video summit and the country was thanked for its leadership, Nausėda noted.
Read more: Baltic countries, Poland demand new vote in Belarus
The parliaments and leaders of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland have denounced the vote-rigging and violence against protestors in Belarus, and have supported sanctions against those responsible.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Belarus after Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in the August 9 presidential election.
Around 7,000 people have been arrested in a police crackdown on protesters. Some detainees said they had been tortured in jail.
Read more: Surviving captivity in Minsk. Belarusian detainee recalls abuse and endless beatings
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