Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that, while he knows the West wants him ousted, he is engaging in negotiations because he believes it serves his country’s economic interests.
Minsk and Washington have held several rounds of talks this year, discussing what US President Donald Trump has described as “a big deal” aimed at normalising relations between the two nations.
These discussions include the release of political prisoners, easing sanctions, and addressing other economic issues. In March, Lukashenko pardoned 123 people convicted of “espionage, terrorist, and extremist activities” as part of this process, According to RT.
In an interview on RT, the Belarusian leader stressed that “the real politics of the West has been known to us for a long time. No matter what negotiations the West conducts with me, I understand perfectly well that I’m not their favourite son.”
“They would gladly chew me up and spit me out. I understand this very well, but even in such a situation, not because I am Lukashenko, but because I am the president of this country and of the Belarusian people, I’m forced to act in accordance with the interests of the people, not my own interests,” he added.
Belarus produces “more than half of our material resources and services and sell them in foreign markets.
We have an open economy, so we must recognise our interests in the West, in Russia, in China and in Africa,” Lukashenko explained.
Positioning Belarus as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Lukashenko stated that Minsk is “conducting dialogue with the Americans, not against Russia or China.”
He also said he made his stance clear to US representatives from the start: “Russia and China are not just long-term partners, they are our friends. When sanctions were imposed on us by the Americans and Europeans, China and Russia opened their doors to us. We were essentially saved because of that.”
