Lukashenko - “The EU Must Become an Independent Pillar of the Planet”

MINSK, April 20, 2026 — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called on the European Union to stop leaning on the United States and finally establish itself as a truly independent pillar of the global order.

In his interview with RT, the president told state news agency BELTA that many European leaders pursue short-sighted policies because “they do not think ahead.” For years they relied overwhelmingly on America, convinced that Washington would arrive and solve all their problems. “But Trump has shown them that your problems are your own — they have nothing to do with America,” Lukashenko said.

He noted that Donald Trump has deliberately distanced himself from the European Union, from Europe and even from NATO, focusing instead on America’s own vital interests — among them Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and, to some extent, the strategic contest with China.

“The European Union should have long ago set itself not only a strategic but also a tactical goal — to become an independent pillar of this planet,” the Belarusian leader asserted.

Lukashenko stressed that he has consistently advocated for the preservation and strengthening of the EU and has sought to build relations with it. “Not because they are friendly to us,” he explained, “but because the EU, the United States, China, a resurgent India and Russia are the pillars of the planet. The more such pillars there are, the more stable the planet itself will be. It was from this philosophical standpoint that I supported the European Union.”

At the same time, he made clear that the EU’s actual policy towards Belarus has been anything but friendly — citing sanctions, attempts to economically strangle the country and repeated accusations of dependence on others.

“They have tried to hitch us to Russia, to China, now to the United States, and to someone else,” Lukashenko remarked. “No. We are here as a relatively small but modern, sovereign and — as far as possible — independent state, right here in the centre of Europe. That is the place the Lord has determined for us.”