{"id":129970,"date":"2025-03-14T11:03:53","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T08:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/129970\/"},"modified":"2025-03-14T11:03:55","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T08:03:55","slug":"minsk-courts-us-dismisses-eu","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/129970\/","title":{"rendered":"Minsk courts US, dismisses EU"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Minsk has seized an opportunity to improve ties with the United States amid its frosty relationship with Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (Ken Haines \/ pixabay.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka proposes peace talks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with US influencer Mario Nawfal, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka invited the leaders of the US, Ukraine, and Russia to Minsk for peace talks on Ukraine, proposing himself as the moderator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea received immediate support from the Kremlin and may have originated there.
However, the plan is unlikely to be viable. Belarus supports Russia in the war, and stronger players\u2014Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar\u2014are competing for the role of mediator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, \u0141uka\u0161enka excluded the European Union and the UK from the talks, intensifying his criticism of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When discussing US-EU relations, he highlights Europe’s dependence on Washington, effectively projecting this onto the Belarusian-Russian Union State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s statements and state media narratives suggest that, while declaring the inevitable rise of a multipolar world, Minsk remains trapped in Soviet-era anti-Western stereotypes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities either ignore or fail to recognize the crisis in the transatlantic alliance, unlike Russian propaganda, which has adapted its messaging. Minsk continues to refer to the “collective West.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk courting US<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Donald Trump’s return to the White House, along with a shift in US foreign policy, gives \u0141uka\u0161enka a chance to improve relations with Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A thaw between the United States and Russia could work in his favor, as the new US administration does not push for democracy in Belarus nor criticize the regime. There are no significant obstacles to engagement, and Minsk simply needs to capture Washington\u2019s interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eager to win over Trump and other American leaders, \u0141uka\u0161enka has resorted to flattery. However, his willingness to engage with the United States does not signal a shift away from Russia and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Washington seeks to weaken the China-Russia alliance, Minsk hopes for a compromise between Moscow, Beijing and the United States\u2014one that benefits the Belarusian regime. \u0141uka\u0161enka has already floated this idea in his interview with Nawfal and is now awaiting a response from the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka views Europe as US extension<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka continues to view Europe as an extension of the United States and believes any rapprochement with the West must be mediated by Washington. However, this approach is flawed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New geopolitical realities have compelled the EU and the UK to become the last bastions of liberal democracy, threatened by the United States, Russia and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the coming years, Europe will need to establish its own security framework to counter a potential\u2014and, according to some analysts, inevitable\u2014Russian attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against this backdrop, Belarus is primarily a Russian tool against Europe, making border security a top priority for the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improved relations with the EU are unlikely without a significant geopolitical shift and an end to repression in Belarus. However, no signs of such a change are yet apparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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