{"id":126982,"date":"2025-02-19T14:13:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T11:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/126982\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","slug":"propaganda-whitewashes-lukasenkas-mediator-legacy-amid-exclusion","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/126982\/","title":{"rendered":"Propaganda whitewashes \u0141uka\u0161enka’s mediator legacy amid exclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Belarus 1<\/em> TV channel has aired a propaganda film titled Searching for Peace<\/em>, which highlights Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s role in the Ukraine peace talks that led to the adoption of the Minsk II agreement in February 2015.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n
\n\n Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka presents German Chancellor Angela Merkel with a bouquet at the Palace of Independence in Minsk on February 11, 2015.\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Mika\u0142aj Piatro\u016d \/ BelTA)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Belarus 1 praises \u0141uka\u0161enka as peace broker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the film, Russian TV propagandist Sergei Brilev lavishes praise on \u0141uka\u0161enka, linking the choice of Minsk for the summit to \u201cthe role of his personality in history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film features Vladyslav Deynego, a former foreign minister of the Luhansk region; Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed head of the Donetsk region; former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov; and Russian TV presenter Olga Skabeeva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skabeeva suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should not participate in future negotiations on Ukraine, claiming he is \u201cjust a tool\u201d of Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film is entirely one-sided, casting \u201cUkrainian militants\u201d and the authorities in Kyiv in a negative light, further exposing Belarusian propaganda\u2019s alignment with the Kremlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk officials nostalgic for Minsk talks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the documentary, \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s spokeswoman, Natalla Ejsmant, criticized former French President Fran\u00e7ois Hollande for his complaints about hard furniture and \u201cterrible sandwiches\u201d served during the talks. She fondly recalled that the guests enjoyed Belarusian potato pancakes and lard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ejsmant also highlighted that \u0141uka\u0161enka did not rest during the 17-hour talks, while she herself coordinated the work of 500 journalists. She described the atmosphere at the Palace of Independence as \u201ctremendously tense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk is unlikely to host any future ceasefire talks on Ukraine, although both \u0141uka\u0161enka and his spokeswoman would likely welcome the opportunity to reprise their roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sergei Brilev further endeared himself to the Belarusian leadership by expressing a desire for a Minsk III<\/em> protocol. However, he acknowledged that the decision on the format and venue for negotiations ultimately lies with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s finest hour: serving Western leaders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a comment on the Normandy Four summit shortly after its conclusion, \u0141uka\u0161enka downplayed his role, stating that it was limited to feeding the guests. \u201cWe ate scrambled eggs, cheese, dairy products and drank several buckets of coffee. . . . How can a war be waged on a peaceful front without ammunition [food]? My job was to bring the ammunition in on time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the summit, \u0141uka\u0161enka seized the opportunity to pose for a photo with Putin, Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The picture of him handing a bouquet to Chancellor Merkel graced the front pages of many Belarusian periodicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (kremlin.ru)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For \u0141uka\u0161enka, the summit was a moment of international recognition. The Western leaders who had previously labeled him Europe\u2019s last dictator had now come to Minsk. All expenses, including coffee and potato pancakes, paid off a hundredfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s triumph. He succeeded in restoring ties with the European Union after the 2010 crackdown on post-election protests in Minsk and the arrest of opposition figures, including former presidential candidates. His refusal to recognize Crimea as Russian territory and relative neutrality persuaded Europe to select Minsk as the venue for the talks. He was critical of Kyiv, claiming that it failed to defend the peninsula from the Russian invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diplomatic thaw ends in repression<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2015, Minsk enjoyed more freedom of action, despite its dependency on Moscow. The West rewarded \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s balancing act by suspending sanctions one year after the summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the 2015 election, \u0141uka\u0161enka pardoned the last remaining political prisoners, including his outspoken critic Mika\u0142aj Statkievi\u010d, and refrained from imprisoning new dissidents after the poll. He also rejected Moscow\u2019s proposal to establish a Russian air base in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This period marked the high point in Belarus\u2019 relations with the West under Foreign Minister U\u0142adzimir Makiej. The Kremlin considered him a pro-Western figure, while he portrayed Belarus as a cornerstone of regional security. Western experts and officials frequently visited Minsk, attending security conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian foreign ministry and \u0141uka\u0161enka even proposed Minsk as the venue for a new Helsinki process. At the time, \u0141uka\u0161enka described Belarus as \u201ceastern Switzerland\u201d and expressed a desire for neutrality and decency in international relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This diplomatic thaw was a temporary respite for Belarusian civil society, which grew stronger and ultimately rose against the government in 2020. \u0141uka\u0161enka suppressed the protests and later allowed Russia to use Belarus as a staging ground for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka wants to participate in Ukraine talks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka continues to advocate for peace and expresses a strong desire to participate in negotiations on Ukraine. Given his poor reputation and questionable character, the chances are slim, but they cannot be entirely ruled out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opposition leaders such as \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja and Pavie\u0142 \u0141atu\u0161ka strongly oppose his involvement, branding him a usurper and co-aggressor. However, veteran politician Zianon Pa\u017aniak and others argue that it would be better to have him represent Belarus at the negotiating table than no one at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following yesterday\u2019s US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia, Putin may attempt to bring his \u201clittle brother\u201d to the table. The US president is trying to assert dominance over Europe, and the question remains whether the continent can resist him. Kyiv is also under immense pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk has extended an olive branch to Washington by releasing two Americans and a journalist from the RFE\/RL<\/em> Belarus Service. The<\/em> New York Times<\/em> reported on a potential \u201cgrand bargain\u201d between the countries involving the release of a \u201cslew\u201d of political prisoners in exchange for the U.S. easing some sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s isolation: from mediator to puppet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s desperate desire to retain power forced him to submit to Russia\u2019s will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n
\n\n Putin presents \u0141uka\u0161enka with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called at the Kremlin on October 9, 2024\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Unofficial Telegram channel of \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s press office (video) \/ Pozirk (screenshot))<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka has capitulated to pressure from Russia to recognize Crimea, formed ties with the occupied regions of Ukraine and may face an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for transferring children from these territories to Belarus for indoctrination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, he rewrote the constitution to remove provisions guaranteeing Belarus\u2019 neutrality and nuclear-free status. Additionally, \u0141uka\u0161enka has requested that Moscow deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons and Oreshnik missiles in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recently published draft agreement between Russia and Belarus on security guarantees clears the way for Russian military bases in Belarus. European politicians view his recent military dealings with Moscow as an attempt to intimidate the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratic countries have imposed sanctions on the Belarusian regime for its complicity in the Russian war against Ukraine, the migrant crisis and other reprehensible actions. EU countries have refused to recognize \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s re-election on January 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An iron curtain has descended between Belarus and Europe, with neighboring EU countries closing most border crossings. The prevailing opinion in the West is that \u0141uka\u0161enka is now Putin\u2019s puppet, and any negotiation with him serves no purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus is no longer a Switzerland of the East, but rather a North Korea in Europe. How can it act as a regional security donor when Russian troops launched missiles from its territory at Ukraine, and its factories support the Russian military-industrial complex?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk\u2019s political image in the West is universally negative. \u0141uka\u0161enka would be eager to host guests with coffee and potato pancakes once more, but they are unlikely to come. That is why his propagandists continue to discuss the taste of the sandwiches served at the summit a decade ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"