{"id":134480,"date":"2025-04-16T13:32:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T10:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/134480\/"},"modified":"2025-04-16T13:33:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T10:33:14","slug":"lukasenka-skeptical-of-eu-courts-trump-amid-diplomatic-stalemate","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/134480\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141uka\u0161enka skeptical of EU, courts Trump amid diplomatic stalemate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka does not expect an improvement in relations with the European Union in the foreseeable future but is making overtures to US President Donald Trump.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (Video from the Belarusian leader's website\/Pozirk's still)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In recent interviews and public appearances, the Belarusian leader has avoided criticizing the US administration\u2019s import tariffs and has tried to appear indifferent to political developments in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His criticisms have been largely limited to Germany\u2014accused of forgetting Nazi atrocities\u2014and Poland, which he charges with refusing to normalize relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silence better than loose talk<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since Trump took office, the world has entered a period of trade wars and geopolitical uncertainty, with Washington\u2019s relations with European allies deteriorating. The US president has so far failed to deliver on his promise to help end the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka has been cautious in his assessments of US policy. He took part in the Kremlin\u2019s propaganda spectacle during US special envoy Steve Witkoff\u2019s visit to Moscow in March but refrained from commenting on Witkoff\u2019s subsequent visit to Saint Petersburg in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the US presidential election, \u0141uka\u0161enka repeatedly expressed a desire to improve ties with Washington and later welcomed Trump\u2019s victory. However, there is no sign that the frosty relationship is beginning to thaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka may have been encouraged by the absence of criticism from the White House in recent months and by Washington\u2019s decision not to increase tariffs on Belarus, which it still views as part of Russia\u2019s sphere of influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A potential rapprochement between Minsk and Washington will likely hinge on how US-Russia relations evolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frustration with the EU<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On April 9, the Belarusian strongman signed a directive instructing state agencies to intensify propaganda. The document denounces the “destructive influence” and threats from “unfriendly forces,” though it stops short of naming specific enemies. Currently, \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s primary antagonists appear to be the EU, particularly Poland and the Baltic States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 12, during the national subbotnik\u2014a day of unpaid public labor\u2014he voiced his frustration with Poland\u2019s unwillingness to engage diplomatically with Minsk. \u201cTell them to get lost,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka is also irked by the EU\u2019s lack of response to his pardoning of 265 political prisoners in the latter half of 2024 and early 2025. The pardon program is now on hold, as Brussels has refused to make concessions before Minsk ends political repression. Meanwhile, the United States is primarily focused on the release of its own citizens. Belarus currently holds only one US national, lawyer Juryj Ziankovi\u010d, and \u0141uka\u0161enka appears intent on keeping this as a bargaining chip for future negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While verbal attacks on Poland and the Baltic States are nothing new, criticism of Germany\u2019s handling of its Nazi past is more pointed\u2014especially ahead of the anniversary marking the defeat of Nazism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview broadcast by Mir television on April 8, \u0141uka\u0161enka accused Germany of forgetting the lessons of World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything has been forgotten,\u201d he said. \u201cWitnesses have disappeared; a new generation has emerged. They [the Germans] pursue a policy imposed by countries farther west\u2014the British and the United States of America. And the Germans wobbled, to put it mildly. They have forgotten everything that happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comment followed an advisory by the German Foreign Ministry discouraging event organizers from inviting delegations from Belarus and Russia to commemorations marking the liberation of concentration camps and the end of World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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