Opinions & Interviews

Belarus president comments on public outcry in wake of remarks about Ukrainian election

LOGOISK DISTRICT, 9 April (BelTA) – During his working trip to Logoisk District, Minsk Oblast on 9 April Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made a few comments in response to the strong reaction expressed by various sides after he made a number of statements about the Ukrainian presidential election in an interview with the Turkish news agency Anadolu the day before, BelTA has learned.

The Belarusian head of state said: “I said what I think. If you don’t know who to vote for, don’t cast your vote. Why do you have to risk voting?”

“They say he supports [Ukraine President Petro] Poroshenko. As if Poroshenko were my friend and [Ukrainian politician Volodymyr] Zelensky were my enemy,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, Volodymyr Zelensky is also criticized in Russia among other places. His choice of acting as a career is frowned upon. “Can’t an actor become a president?” the head of state wondered. He mentioned U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who was an actor once as well.

Apart from that, Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that many decisions in Ukraine cannot be implemented without the parliament’s approval. “Poroshenko was able to come to terms. He had his own faction. If Petrov, Zelensky, Sidorov becomes [the head of state] over there, everything will be decided by parliamentary elections. And divergence will be great there. But no, they had to make noise about it…” the Belarusian leader said.

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