March 14, Pozirk. Belarus will not unite with Russia in the near future, Alaksandar Łukašenka has told the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house.
“When will Russia become part of Belarus or, alternatively, when will Belarus become part of Russia? Guys, this is unlikely to happen soon,” he said. “If we rush through this open door, we will ruin everything we have done. We need to move slowly, step by step, implementing something, as we are doing now.”
The Belarusian ruler cited the Russian Central Bank’s alleged opposition to a single currency as one of the setbacks caused by straightforward approaches. Meanwhile, the geopolitical situation has pushed both countries towards an agreement on common defense, he argued.
“We have a common fatherland. But this is what has happened. . . . A dozen and a half independent states were formed on this common homeland. You know about the reasons and how it happened,” said the politician, known for his nostalgia for the Soviet Union.
Yesterday, Łukašenka and Russian President Vladimir Putin completed the ratification process for the Union State’s treaty on security guarantees. The treaty, signed by the two leaders in December, has entered into force. It contains the commitment by the two nations to defend the Union State territory and border with “all available forces and means,” including the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons.
Belarus and Russia concluded the Union State Treaty in 2000. The deal is of unlimited duration. In 2018, Russia launched an upgrade of the Union State to bind the two countries together.
In November 2021, Minsk and Moscow signed 28 Union State programs focusing on macroeconomic, industrial and agricultural policies, tax and customs harmonization and a common energy market.
