Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko to adversaries: “You can’t crush Belarus and Russia”

An archive photo

LEPEL DISTRICT, 31 October (BelTA) – During a working visit to Vitebsk Oblast, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko warned his foreign opponents against attempts to crush Belarus and Russia, BelTA has learned.

“No one can manipulate us. I see the situation is being escalated in this context. Their goal is to crush us, together with the Russians. They label Putin and Lukashenko as aggressors. This narrative is unacceptable. They will not be able to subdue us. Do they truly wish to relive what happened in the mid-20th century? They will not defeat us. We will defend our land alongside the Russians to the last person standing, but we are not the ones seeking confrontation,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

In this regard, Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled threats to close the Suwalki Gap, a land link between Belarus and Russia on one side and Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast on the other. “The Russians are transporting goods there from their own land. Not nuclear weapons, or other weapons, but goods. Lithuanian border guards inspect them there; this corridor goes through Lithuania. What are you doing? This is an empire, a nuclear power. What are you asking for? Why are you preventing Russians from communicating normally with their own territory, Kaliningrad Oblast? They’re asking for it,” the head of state remarked.

Similarly, threats to close the Baltic Sea route are sometimes made. The president recalled that after the Baltic states closed their ports to Belarus, it found alternative ports in Leningrad Oblast and St. Petersburg. “We have a port in Bronka. They closed off our ability to load in Lithuania, in the ports of Latvia, in Poland – these are your ports. We are not going there. We found a port in Leningrad Oblast. ‘We will close the Baltic Sea’ [such threats are made]. We were sitting with Putin (I’ve already talked about this somewhere), discussing this issue. I said: ‘See what it has come to. They’ve become brazen.’ And what is the solution? Well, we will escort our merchant ships with warships. Do you want this?” the Belarusian leader said.

“You see, they’re asking for it. Who’s pushing them? We can only guess. There are attempts to reignite a conflict here in Europe. It is for this reason that I am retreating and doing it with extreme caution, but these concessions are a temporary measure,” the president remarked.

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