Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko presents Coale with ‘pragmatic proposals’ relevant to U.S. interests

MINSK, 18 December (BelTA) –The United States should engage in a dialogue based on pragmatism, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said an interview with the U.S. media company Newsmax, BelTA has learned.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, during his talks with U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale, he conveyed “several proposals rooted in our pragmatism”, relevant to the U.S. interests. “I told your colleagues who came here, man to man: guys, you have to be able to admit defeat. Even if a major country like the United States organized an attack against us in 2020 (not you personally, though you supported it) and lost, you must proceed from that reality. There’s no need to go around the world shouting that you lost, but you need to act proceeding from this. If you lose, let’s talk calmly, like adults, and move forward,” the president said.

“We need to negotiate and stop fighting each other, especially since we support each other. Do we really have bad relations with the Americans? What have we done wrong to the United States of America? Nothing. So why do you look at us with suspicion?” the Belarusian leader asked rhetorically.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized Belarus’ interest in good relations with the United States and expressed confidence that the ongoing dialogue would allow both parties to reach agreements on all issues.

The head of state believes that it is not acceptable for the current generation of leaders to leave unresolved issues in bilateral relations for future generations to deal with. “I don’t want the problems that arose during my time as the leader of the country to be inherited by the children of Belarus, the next generation. Every generation must solve its own problems. Our generation, Trump’s and Lukashenko’s, has its own set of challenges. We must address them,” he said.

Moreover, there are areas where Belarus and the United States can help each other. Aleksandr Lukashenko cited Venezuela as an example. “Can we work together there? We can. I told John Coale yesterday [referring to the 12 December talks]: we will work together for free (I don’t need any rewards) in order to ensure that the Venezuelan people live in peace and that Americans do not die on foreign soil in pursuit of oil, gold, rare earth metals, or in the fight against drugs. Whenever there is a chance to save lives, we should take it,” the president said.

Speaking about the future of Belarus-U.S. relations, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted certain similarities between the two peoples, given that many people in the United States have European roots. “This is why I am confident that we will reach an agreement, perhaps based on the principles of pragmatism. Americans are extremely pragmatic, and so are we. Therefore, I believe that once we define the main areas of our pragmatism, we will be able to reach agreements,” the head of state added. “So we will reach an understanding with the Americans. We will.”

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