Lukashenko Discussed Soros’ Visit to Minsk and Efforts to "Separate" Belarus from Russia

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gave an interview to Time’s correspondent.

He emphasized that engaging in dialogue with everyone is essential if one desires to foster normal relations. In an interview with Simon Shuster, Lukashenko expressed this viewpoint clearly.

The Belarusian leader acknowledged that the United States remains a global leader, albeit a weakened one. He pointed out that Belarus, like many other countries, is heavily dependent on the U.S., and noted that the approach of the American side towards Belarus has remained unchanged with the rise of Donald Trump. “The policies that the State Department pursued under Joe Biden—and even now under Trump—toward Belarus are well known to us,” Lukashenko stated.

Was he surprised to learn that Americans wanted to discuss regional issues with him? Yes, there was some surprise, but he emphasized that he has always been and remains open to dialogue.

“This is my credo, my principle. You must converse with everyone if you want to establish normal relations. If you do not communicate, you gradually move towards conflict. And we do not need that,” he declared.

Lukashenko noted that initially, he did not expect the United States to be serious about lifting sanctions or normalizing relations. “We have no relations at all. You even withdrew your ambassador from here. There is no ambassador, and if the embassy still operates, it’s probably for some petty purpose, nothing more,” he said.

Removing sanctions would be a significant step toward normalizing Belarus-U.S. relations. However, the president pointed out that, through sanctions, the Western world attempts to divide Belarus from Russia.

He recalled that since George Soros’ first visit to him—back in 1994 or 1995—Soros had tried to convince him to join the Western camp. “But I was honest with him. I told him openly about his policies. He listened, studied, and I said, ‘George, forgive me, but I will not pursue that policy. So, this is probably our last meeting.’ I made it clear that we would not cooperate,” Lukashenko shared.