LONDON: Britain and Canada on Tuesday became the first major nations to slap sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko over the country's seething political crisis.

The move came as Russia lashed out at what it dubbed "unprecedented external pressure" on Minsk after Lukashenko's disputed election victory triggered massive street protests and Western condemnation.

The European Union has so far failed to impose blanket sanctions on Lukashenko, with only its small Baltic members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania targeting the strongman leader and around 100 senior regime officials.

But French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday signalled that EU sanctions were in the offing after he promised that Paris would help foster mediation of the crisis.

London and Ottawa imposed the sanctions on Lukashenko, his son and senior regime figures for a string of alleged human rights violations.

Belarus has been in upheaval since a disputed August 9 presidential election in which opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya claimed victory against Lukashenko, who has ruled since 1994.

The United States, European Union, Britain and Canada regard his presidency as illegitimate, but he has the backing of long-time ally Russian President Vladimir Putin.