Łukašenka, Putin play up their alliance, Cichanoŭskaja says Belarusians do not need it
April 2, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka and Russian President Vladimir Putin have issued upbeat statements today as Minsk and Moscow to mark the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia.
The common educational, informational, cultural space allows every citizen of Belarus and Russia to feel a part “our common Fatherland,” Alaksandar Łukašenka said on the 28th anniversary of a treaty that initiated the integration process.
Minsk and Moscow are “building their future together,” relying on “mutual trust and support,” the Belarusian ruler’s press office said in an official message.
Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja criticized her country’s strong ties with Russia, noting that her country does not need unions, which cause deaths and the erosion of national identity.
“The Łukašenka regime has isolated Belarus from the world – clinging to Moscow as its last lifeline. Every step toward Putin is a step toward erasing our sovereignty,” she stressed on X.
The Union State treaty between Belarus and Russia entered into force in January 2000 after ratification by the parliaments of the two countries. 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.
Last year, Łukašenka and Putin approved a security deal that consolidated Belarus as Russia’s protectorate. Moscow is committed to defend the Union State with “all available forces and means,” including Russian tactical nuclear weapons ostensibly stationed in Belarus.
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