Thursday, November 4th, 2021
“Unparalleled External Pressure”
Putin assures Lukashenko of support
Moscow is a close ally of the Belarusian ruler Lukashenko. In a virtual meeting, Kremlin chief Putin reaffirmed his loyalty to his smaller partner. At the same time he promises help against foreign “attempts at meddling” – a clear message to the West.
Russian head of state Vladimir Putin has assured the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko his support against foreign “meddling attempts”. “We will jointly oppose all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of our sovereign states,” Putin said in a televised online summit with Lukashenko on the occasion of the signing of a number of bilateral agreements.
“Of course we will continue to provide support for the brotherly Belarusian people – there is no doubt about that,” Putin said. Lukashenko thanked the Kremlin chief for his support and said the “unprecedented external pressure” had become a “serious test of the strength” of Belarusian-Russian relations. “We can say with certainty that we passed this test.”
During their virtual meeting, Lukashenko and Putin signed agreements on a total of 28 programs aimed at deepening the integration between Belarus and Russia. The main focus is on economic issues, including taxes, agriculture and energy. More delicate questions such as the political integration of the two countries, for example through the creation of a common parliament or a common currency, were left out. Within the framework of the Russian-Belarusian Union, Moscow and Minsk cooperate in the economic and defense sectors. The Kremlin has long insisted on greater integration between the two states.
Lukashenko has been largely isolated internationally since last year’s presidential election, which was accompanied by massive allegations of fraud; Putin is his last important ally. The EU imposed a series of sanctions on the leadership in Minsk for alleged electoral fraud and the massive persecution of opposition members in Belarus.
Tensions between Belarus and the West have recently come to a head. The EU accuses Lukashenko of deliberately smuggling migrants across the EU borders into Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in order to retaliate against the sanctions decisions taken in Brussels.