{"id":11415,"date":"2022-05-17T20:16:42","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T17:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/lukasenkas-appeals-for-csto-unity-left-hanging-in-the-air\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"lukasenkas-appeals-for-csto-unity-left-hanging-in-the-air","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/","title":{"rendered":"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n <span>By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t * Reproduction is allowed\n<\/p>\n<p>\n <b>Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka on May 16 lashed out at Belarus\u2019 partners within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for the lack of support for Russia and Belarus amid tension with NATO.<\/b>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t He seized the opportunity to blame the West and Kyiv for hostilities in Ukraine, alleging that the West pit the latter against Russia by \u201cforce-feeding nationalism and Nazism.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t He defended Minsk\u2019s involvement in the conflict, claiming that Kyiv was &#8220;the first to impose sanctions&#8221; against Belarus by suspending air traffic and flying a reconnaissance drone over Belarus.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Actually, Ukraine closed its air space to Belarus in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in May 2021.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Both incidents can hardly be regarded as a valid reason to allow Russia to fire more than 600 missiles at Ukraine from Belarusian territory.\n<\/p>\n<h2> <span>Luka\u0161enka shows off his loyalty to Putin<\/span> <\/h2>\n<p>\n\t The Belarusian ruler used his speech at the CSTO summit meeting to demonstrate his loyalty to Vladimir Putin.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t He criticized the leaders of other CSTO countries for a lack of unity and solidarity with Russia and Belarus.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t If the CSTO members were united there would be no sanctions, he said. &#8220;Who prevents us from using the allied resources, as the EU does? We will be crushed one by one and torn apart. The collective West will build up its own pressure, without meeting joint resistance from the [CSTO] allies.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t He pointed out that \u201cnot only Russia must express concern and fight \u2013 alone at the moment \u2013 with NATO\u2019s attempt to expand.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t It is a common knowledge how Russia resists NATO\u2019s expansion \u2013 it attacked Ukraine. Not a single CSTO member, except for Belarus, has supported the invasion.\n<\/p>\n<h2> <span>Former Russian peripheries seek greater independence<\/span> <\/h2>\n<p>\n\t The CSTO leaders did not discuss the organization\u2019s possible backing for the Russian \u201cspecial military operation,\u201d Stanisla\u016d Za\u015b, secretary general, said after the conference.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Obviously, the CSTO would not support any involvement in the war because none of its members have been attacked. Quite the contrary, one of its members attacked a third country.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t The Moscow-led CSTO is a loose alliance unable to harmonize the divergent interests of its member states. Russia has not given up efforts to rebuild the empire, while the former \u201cnational peripheries\u201d seek a greater degree of independence from Moscow and want to leave peacefully with the West.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Nevertheless, the CSTO conducted one successful operation in January to suppress anti-government protests in Kazakhstan. The alliance\u2019s main purpose seems to be to protect authoritarian leaders from domestic opponents. It is ill-suited for other roles.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t CSTO partners are looking to buy weapons from Russia cheaper. But they are unlikely to stand with the Kremlin for its imperial interests. Even Luka\u0161enka decided against sending his troops to Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n<h2> <span>Luka\u0161enka cites China as example of information security<\/span> <\/h2>\n<p>\n\t Luka\u0161enka suggested establishing a CSTO analysis and strategic planning unit and using China&#8217;s information security methods.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Belarus and Russia have already made considerable progress in copying China\u2019s abuses of internet freedom. In Luka\u0161enka\u2019s view, information security is about imprisonment of dissidents and hysterical propaganda.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t China\u2019s Great Firewall, a combination of Internet censorship laws and technologies, is an expensive program that Minsk and Moscow can hardly afford as they run out of cash amid international sanctions. Besides, Chinese users also have their methods to bypass the firewall.\n<\/p>\n<h2> <span>Partners reluctant to put themselves on the line for Russia<\/span> <\/h2>\n<p>\n\t Luka\u0161enka had suggested at his meeting with Putin in March that \u201cwe should get together in the CSTO, get together in the EAEU [Eurasian Economic Union], coalesce\u201d and \u201cin a month we will forget about the sanctions.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t However, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are reluctant to put themselves on the line for the Kremlin\u2019s imperial ambitions. And why should they share the burden of sanctions if they have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Moreover, the Russian assault gave CSTO partners the jitters. After all, no one can guarantee that the Kremlin will not attack others over its concerns about these countries\u2019 excessive degree of independence.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t CSTO leaders left appeals by Putin and Luka\u0161enka hanging in the air. Moreover, the CSTO issued a statement, expressing its readiness to establish \u201cpractical cooperation\u201d with NATO. Luka\u0161enka\u2019s rhetoric might have energized Putin, but left others unimpressed.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN * Reproduction is allowed Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka on May 16 lashed out at Belarus\u2019 partners within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for the lack of support for Russia and Belarus amid tension with NATO. He seized the opportunity to blame the West and Kyiv for hostilities in Ukraine, alleging that the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-11415","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN * Reproduction is allowed Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka on May 16 lashed out at Belarus\u2019 partners within the Collective Security\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN * Reproduction is allowed Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka on May 16 lashed out at Belarus\u2019 partners within the Collective Security\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Pozirk_online\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/\"},\"headline\":\"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-17T17:16:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/\"},\"wordCount\":736,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/\",\"name\":\"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air | Pozirk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-17T17:16:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN * Reproduction is allowed Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka on May 16 lashed out at Belarus\u2019 partners within the Collective Security\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Pozirk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air | Pozirk","description":"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN * Reproduction is allowed Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka on May 16 lashed out at Belarus\u2019 partners within the Collective Security","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air | Pozirk","og_description":"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN * Reproduction is allowed Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka on May 16 lashed out at Belarus\u2019 partners within the Collective Security","og_url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/","og_site_name":"Pozirk","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","article_modified_time":"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Pozirk_online","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/"},"headline":"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air","datePublished":"2022-05-17T17:16:42+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/"},"wordCount":736,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/","name":"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air | Pozirk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-05-17T17:16:42+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00","description":"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN * Reproduction is allowed Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka on May 16 lashed out at Belarus\u2019 partners within the Collective Security","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11415\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Luka\u0161enka\u2019s appeals for CSTO unity left hanging in the air"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","name":"Pozirk","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization","name":"Pozirk","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Pozirk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads\/11415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/longreads"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"rubric","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rubric?post=11415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}