“Looking for a new master”: what lies behind Lukashenko's statements contradicting Putin

“Looking for a new master”: what lies behind Lukashenko's statements that contradict Putin Melania Golembyovskaya

Self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has once again made a controversial statement, saying that de jure Crimea is Ukrainian. There are many signals hidden behind such statements, both to the West and to another country that Lukashenko considers his “master”.

Political scientist Igor Reiterovich expressed this opinion to Channel 24, noting that Lukashenko is playing along with China. The self-proclaimed president of Belarus is posing as a tough political player, and therefore is trying to be “convenient” for many parties.

What is behind Lukashenko's statements

According to the political scientist, Lukashenko constantly makes such statements. For example, he threatened the Russians with war if they wanted to annex Belarus to Russia. The statement on Crimea is simply a continuation of all the previous statements that Lukashenko made publicly.

On the one hand, he acknowledged reality and understands that he will not “get any consequences” from Russia, because according to international documents this is true. On the other hand, Lukashenko is thus sending a signal to Western countries that he is “not completely on Putin's side and not completely involved in the war against Ukraine,” Reiterovich explained.

It is worth noting that Belarus is also responsible for the war against Ukraine, because the invasion of our country was from its territory. After the end of the war, she, like Russia, must bear punishment.

Note!Lukashenko, however, said that Russia did not attack Ukraine from Belarusian territory. According to him, before the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia conducted military exercises in Belarus, and when it began to withdraw, the troops were moving “along the Ukrainian border.” He does not rule out that “part of the troops” could have been “provoked” and they did turn toward Kyiv.

Such statements are a game in both directions. The self-proclaimed president is trying to pretend to be someone with whom one can negotiate. However, he is not very successful in this.

In addition, the political scientist said that such statements are due to the fact that so-called presidential elections will soon be held in Belarus. It is clear that there will be no fair elections in the country, but Lukashenko needs to form a certain image for the domestic user.

This image is called “either me or war.” To confirm this, he throws out information that is ambiguous from Russia's point of view. For everyone else, this is an understandable story, Reiterovich noted.

Moreover, Lukashenko questioned Vladimir Putin's attempts to involve North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine. In doing so, he played along with China, which opposed internationalization, expansion of the war, and escalation.

Lukashenko is trying to be a “servant of many masters” and look good to everyone. Although this image has not misled anyone for a long time, he continues to stubbornly follow it, because he believes that in this way he is engaged in “cool geopolitics,” the political scientist noted.

Reiterovich added that how the end of the war will affect Belarus will depend on its results. The end of the war will be a real challenge for Lukashenko.

On the one hand, he wants the war to end as soon as possible, because he fears that Russia will use him again. The aggressor country can again use the territory of his country or pressure him to involve its army.

On the other hand, the end of the war can reorient the views of the Russian authorities on Belarus from the point of view of searching for some “new victories.” Such a victory could be the creation of a union state, when Belarus will simply be absorbed by Russia.

Lukashenko hopes that when the war ends, Russia will not be able to direct its expansionist attempts to Belarus. Therefore, Lukashenko is looking for a new “master”, which is certainly China, – the political scientist concluded.