UK seeking details on passengers who left Belarus plane By Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) – British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Monday that the West was trying to piece together the full picture of who exactly left the Ryanair plane in Minsk to understand who was involved in the Belarusian jet incident.

“We’re trying to glean a full picture of what happened and who was involved,” Raab told Reuters. “That’s again another reason why we’re talking very closely to our European and other partners.”

Britain, Raab said, was coordinating with European partners and Five Eyes on possible sanctions against Minsk.

“We want as many countries as possible to take a stand against the actions,” Raab said.

“I can’t give you a precise timeframe. We want to look very carefully. With these things it’s very important to get them right rather than to rush … The last thing you want is to trip up and give a PR coup, to the very people in Minsk who we are seeking to shine a light on.”

Asked if Belarusian oil and potash companies and sovereign debt could be the subject of sanctions, he said: “We won’t take anything off the table.”

He said his comments about possible Russian involvement in the incident were based on the circumstances.

“But we don’t know – it is just the proximity of the relationship between Minsk and Moscow.”