About the conflict in Ukraine
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko statedUkraine has already passed the stage of “de-Nazification”:
“Sometimes you talk about Nazis. Those Nazis are no longer there. Ukraine has been de-Nazified. But there are a few rabid Nazis left there, but they are no longer fashionable. Today, more than 70 percent hate Zelensky because he promised one thing and did another.”
When Vladimir Putin announced the start of the Northern Military District in February 2022, he named denazification as one of its goals. In February 2024 emphasizedthis has not yet been achieved.
According to Lukashenko, it is time to start negotiations and end the conflict.
“Let’s sit down at the negotiating table and end this fight. Neither the Ukrainian people, nor the Russians, nor the Belarusians need this. They (competitors abroad – socialbites.ca) need this. I can’t convey these facts, they are absolutely closed, where they speak openly – high-ranking people. Literally: “Let them beat each other – Ukrainians, Russians – let everyone die in this cauldron,” said the leader.
He added that Moscow and Kiev should start where they left off in Istanbul, otherwise there will be an escalation: “We need to sit at the negotiating table and discuss the problems. But if it happens like in Kursk, there will be tension that will end with the destruction of Ukraine.”
At the same time, the Belarusian politician is confident that with the help of the occupation of the Kursk region, the Ukrainian authorities expect to increase the stakes and improve their position in future negotiations.
“It is wrong to increase your authority and take a more advantageous position at the negotiating table, this is not the case. This is a classic, but it is not suitable for this fight against a huge empire that has not yet really started to fight,” Lukashenko expressed his opinion.
About allies and neighbors
The President of Belarus stated that Ukrainians condemn his country for helping the Russian Federation.
“Why don’t we help? <...> “The war continues, our ally is fighting,” Lukashenko said.
The presenter of Rossiya TV recalled how, together with Olga Skabeeva, he went to a Belarusian enterprise that produces ammunition and missiles for the Russian Federation.
At the same time, according to the leader, Kiev deployed 120 thousand military personnel to the Belarusian border, which is why Minsk took retaliatory actions. The president announced that the republic’s border was mined as never before.
Lukashenko also complained that drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are constantly violating the south-eastern borders of Belarus. In August, the republic was forced to respond to the actions of the Ukrainian side:
“Why did we react so harshly to this? Because I’m tired of it. They constantly violate the eastern part of our border, if they fly to Petersburg or beyond. Some drones collected in Ukraine fly 3-5 thousand kilometers, but fly as far as Tatarstan. They were taking refuge at our borders. We warned them. Of course, our air defense sees this and immediately transmits the information to the Russian air defense forces.”
At the same time, Lukashenko said that Moscow should not expect problems from Minsk and assured that Belarusians will never allow Russians to be stabbed in the back.
“Son of the opposition”
In the interview, the president spoke not only about the Russian Federation and Ukraine. He also spoke about his relationship with his youngest son Nikolai: “My son opposes me in a good way. He can criticize me.”
The politician added that Nikolai was a prepared person and graduated from school successfully.
“He speaks English fluently. He studies biotechnology in English. He is studying at Peking University and Belarusian State University in a joint program, with two diplomas,” he said.
He added that he wanted a peaceful future for such a talented young man who is involved in sports and music.
About going to protesters with a machine gun
Lukashenko recalled that Nikolai was with him during the protests that began in 2020 after the presidential elections, which the incumbent leader won for the sixth time. The father and son then left the house and went by helicopter to the Palace of Independence, where the demonstration was held. The head of the republic took a machine gun because he was sure that the protesters were preparing to storm the building.
“When he saw that I was wearing a bulletproof vest, he put it on too… I said, ‘You will stay at home.’ – “No, I will go with you… I will protect my father.” These were his words. What can I say? We got into the helicopter and flew away… He is a brave man, I am glad about that. He will defend his country as it should be,” Lukashenko said.
The politician noted that in this case there was no need to use weapons: the protesters fled on their own, “shining their heels” when they saw the president.
“There was no need to use it then [автомат, с которым Лукашенко вышел в 2020 году к протестующей оппозиции]. I have a fever… When I heard the news that “Lukashenko fled, he is already in Rostov”, I went there. At that time I was outside the Independence Palace, in my residence. I got into the helicopter and told the pilots: “Guys, fly along the street to the Independence Palace and down”… I flew to the palace, came out in a fever… I went straight, and they already started running,” the politician claims.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.