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European diplomats have told Euronews that EU sanctions on Belarus are being held up by Cyprus with only a few days left until a key meeting of European foreign ministers on Monday, Euronews reported.

The island nation, one of the EU's smallest members, has threatened to block measures against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's government because of a separate row involving Turkey.

On Friday, France appeared to support Cyprus' demand that the bloc must also consider sanctions over Turkish oil and gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.

European leaders vowed nearly a month ago that they would act upon a list of Belarusian officials connected to fraud and police violence following the disputed presidential election.

But the EU can only impose sanctions on human rights issues if all 27 members of the bloc support them.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week said the bloc should drop its unanimity rules on the issues of human rights and sanctions implementation so that decisions can be made more quickly.