MINSK, May 5. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced that he instructed the Foreign Ministry and the government to convey to Europe the information about Minsk’s potential steps should more sanctions be imposed, he said at an informal meeting with former President of Moldova Igor Dodon on Wednesday.

"I instructed the foreign minister, prime minister and intelligence services today to convey to them real facts and outcomes if they resort to the weapon of sanctions," Lukashenko said. "[Tell] Europeans. I underline, we will be forced to respond so that our people are not ashamed of having such [weak] leadership."

Following the presidential elections in Belarus in August 2020, the EU adopted three packages of sanctions against several Belarusian companies and nationals who Brussels deems involved in the alleged falsification of election results as well as for violence and arbitrary arrests in the country. In turn, the US is reinstating sanctions against nine Belarusian state petrochemical companies.

Belarus retaliated by banning the export and sale of production of three European companies, namely Liqui Moly, Skoda Auto and Beiersdorf.