German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is "seeking dialogue" with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko after the EU rejected the country's election results.
Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, was re-elected after winning 80 percent of the vote, but demonstrators and critics believe the election was rigged.
On Wednesday Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said the bloc didn't recognise Lukashenko's victory and would impose sanctions on key figures within the Belarus government.
Merkel has now revealed she wants to speak directly to the Belarusian leader, after speaking at a joint news conference alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.
"President Lukashenko has not yet spoken to anyone on the phone, but we are seeking dialogue, and we will of course insist on certain things. That means release of prisoners, not violence, freedom of expression, freedom of demonstration,"CGTN cited her as saying.
Merkel: Germany 'seeking dialogue' with Belarus president
10425 views
