Russian authorities continue to exert economic pressure on Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Roman Bezsmertnyi, Ukraine’s former Ambassador to Belarus, says.
“The Kremlin will give no peace Lukashenka, demanding higher prices for oil and gas. Moscow’s objective is to fleece Belarusians. Hard times are ahead of them. Moreover, they have no time to get ready for repelling Russia’s aggression,” he warns.
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“In Crimea, half of the army passed over to the enemy, I am afraid that the very few of the Belarusian military will defend their country from the Russian Federation. It is an open secret that the General Staff in Minsk will fulfil the Kremlin’s orders,” he said.
“We have been hardly making any progress in the talks on gas prices for several months. In this context, Russia reduced the export of oil to Belarus. We perceive it as pressure on Belarus. But I will not tolerate any pressure, and Belarusians will not tolerate it either,” Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on September 20. He also criticized the Russian authorities for violation of the agreements within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, in particular, the blocking of deliveries of Belarusian products.
According to Roman Bezsmertnyi, such ‘rollercoaster’ in relations with Russia may end in the deprivation of Belarus’ state sovereignty.
“Minsk should prepare for a very unpleasant scenario. We must not forget that there are Russian military bases in Belarus. They [Russians] practically declare Vitsebsk and Homiel ‘Russian land’. Look, where the main units of Belarusian territorial defense are stationed, i.e. the situation is very unfortunate. And it continues to deteriorate,” the Ukrainian diplomat summed up.
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