{"id":128977,"date":"2025-03-07T12:26:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T09:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/128977\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","slug":"lukasenka-lectures-trump-casts-himself-as-global-player","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/128977\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141uka\u0161enka lectures Trump, casts himself as global player"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In an interview with American blogger Mario Nawfal on February 27, Belarusian leader Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka invited the US and Ukrainian leaders to Minsk for talks aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka gives an interview to American journalist Mario Nawfal in Minsk on February 27\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (\u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s press office)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka tells Trump to calm down<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka praised US President Donald Trump but also advised him to “calm down” and deliver on his campaign promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I\u2019m joking: ‘Too bad I\u2019m not in America.’ I would tell Trump straight to his face what he shouldn\u2019t do. Too many statements . . .” \u0141uka\u0161enka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian state media heralded the interview as “resonant” and “sensational” before its release, but it ultimately made little impact. \u0141uka\u0161enka didn\u2019t introduce anything new, except for his claim that Western intelligence agencies had praised his role in de-escalating Yevgeny Prigozhin\u2019s mutiny in June 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interview was posted on X on the night of March 5, Minsk time. Despite \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s self-portrayal as a global player, public attention was instead focused on Trump\u2019s first address to a joint session of Congress, broadcast around the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka backs Trump\u2019s peace efforts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka expressed support for Trump\u2019s attempts to end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I am ready to stand by and do whatever is necessary to stop the war,” he said, as though Trump desperately needed his backing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka made it clear that he not only wanted to host peace talks but also to play an active role in the resolution process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Tell Trump: I am waiting for him here with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky. We will sit down and discuss things calmly,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, hosting talks in Minsk may be problematic since \u0141uka\u0161enka is seen by Kyiv and the West as a co-aggressor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, Trump\u2019s actions have been unconventional. He avoids labeling Putin as an aggressor and has hinted at a potential deal at Ukraine\u2019s expense. This may explain why \u0141uka\u0161enka continues to promote Minsk as a venue for discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remarks on Prigozhin\u2019s mutiny and Ukraine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s policy shift seems to have inspired \u0141uka\u0161enka, who now believes he is one of the key players in resolving the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We will find out who is to blame later. No one will escape responsibility,” he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka claimed that before the Russian invasion, Ukraine initiated an “economic war” against Belarus by seizing thousands of Belarusian trucks and freight cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This statement is false. Kyiv seized Belarusian and Russian assets only after the invasion, under a law enacted in March 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Predictably, \u0141uka\u0161enka defended Putin, claiming that the Russian president was merely protecting Russian speakers from oppression by Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s penchant for self-promotion once again led him to boast about his role in quelling the Wagner Group rebellion, claiming he was “privately thanked” by Western intelligence agencies, including the CIA and MI6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to \u0141uka\u0161enka, the West feared that Prigozhin could overthrow the Russian government and seize nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also claimed he was prepared to send Belarusian troops to defend Moscow from the mutineers.
These revelations could anger Putin, whom \u0141uka\u0161enka seems to portray as a weak leader. Putin may seek to reprimand him during his upcoming visit to Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No mercy for dissidents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The American interviewer was an easy interlocutor for \u0141uka\u0161enka, who was happy to answer questions without hesitation. Nawfal emphasized that he asked “questions without trickery.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Nawfal did not ask about a potential “grand bargain” between Minsk and Washington\u2014the release of a significant number of political prisoners in exchange for sanctions relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the conversation, Nawfal inquired whether \u0141uka\u0161enka was willing to “turn the page” and allow those who “made mistakes” in 2020 to return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka responded: “We are already doing that, and this is my task: those who made mistakes, those who were misled, should live in their own land, create families and raise children.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was likely referring to a commission led by Prosecutor General Andrej \u0160vied, which reviews requests from exiled Belarusians. Over the past two years, the commission has reviewed 241 cases, approved just over 30 applications, and only 20 individuals have returned to Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that around half a million people left Belarus after the 2020 uprising, the commission\u2019s actions have been largely ineffective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is unsurprising, as the government persists in its policy of vengeance. Earlier this week, \u0141uka\u0161enka called for further political purges across all sectors. A grand bargain seems unlikely unless he halts the reprisals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Occasional pardons possible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Behind-the-scenes contacts continue between U.S. and Belarusian officials. While Trump may be indifferent to political prisoners in authoritarian regimes, he is committed to fulfilling his promise of bringing Americans back home from foreign prisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his March 4 address to Congress, he mentioned the release of US citizen Marc Fogel from a Russian prison as an example of how the United States benefits from engaging with Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On February 12, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Smith helped secure the release of US citizen Nikolay Shugaev, Andrej Ku\u017anie\u010dyk, a former journalist with Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty, and Belarusian opposition activist Alena Ma\u016d\u0161uk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka’s spokeswoman, Natalla Ejsmant, stressed on February 13 that Shugaev\u2019s release was not the only request from the new US administration, and such requests continue to come in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January, Belarus also freed US citizen Anastasia Nuhfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Belarusian-born US lawyer Juryj Ziankovi\u010d, along with former RFE\/RL journalists Ihar \u0141osik and Ihar Karniej, remain behind bars in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It appears the US administration is focused on securing the release of those it identifies as its own citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian pro-democracy leaders, who emphasize the importance of strategic dialogue with the United States, would like Washington to push for the release of as many political prisoners as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the opposition camp has no illusions about \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s humanitarian intentions, it may seize the opportunity to capitalize on his overtures to Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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