Belarus announces retaliatory sanctions on U.S.

Belarus on Thursday announced that the United States would have to cut its diplomatic and administrative staff in Belarus as part of retaliatory sanctions.

Visa procedures would also be tightened, said Belarusian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Anatoly Glaz,without providing specifics.

The spokesperson also said that permission for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to work in the country had been revoked.

It came after the U.S. introduced a series of sanction measures against Belarus over the Ryanair flight diversion incident.

Nine Belarusian state-owned enterprises were targeted by the U.S. in the sanctions starting from Thursday.