Lavrov spoke harshly after talking to Makei. The accusations against Ukraine, a neighbor of both Russia and Belarus, were particularly heavy. According to Lavrov, the Ukrainians provoke and finance the destabilization of Belarus with radical actions. In fact, according to Russia’s foreign minister, 200 “extremists” trained in Ukraine are currently active in Belarus. Harsh words, but Lavrov gave no evidence whatsoever.
High price for support Russia
Not only Ukraine, but also the west was beaten. It cannot, according to Lavrov, say goodbye to its “dominant position” in the world and tries to maintain power through “completely illegal approaches, including sanctions and interventions”.
In view of Mishushin’s visit to Minsk and Lukashenko’s upcoming visit to Moscow, the statements seem to be the prelude to a direct intervention by Moscow in Belarus. There is even talk of an ‘Anschluss’. It’s not that far yet, but it is clear that if Lukashenko remains in power, he will have to pay a heavy price for the support he receives from the big brother in the East. It is not yet possible to say how high. This can range from the far-reaching integration in a state union that Putin has been insisting on for years to full annexation.
Putin: fair Belarus elections
Lukashenko himself already took an advance on that unknown future on Tuesday. He spoke of a “common homeland in which two peoples live with the same roots”, referring to Russia and Belarus. “This is a homeland from Brest, from Belarus, to Vladivostok, in the very east of Russia”.
Lukashenko thus has Putin’s support. This is evident from the Russian police reserves that the Russian president promised if the Belarusian riot police and security forces can no longer cope with the protest. And from the Russian journalists and technicians that Russia has sent to replace employees of the Belarusian state broadcaster, who sided with the opposition.
It is also evident from Putin’s remark that the Belarusian presidential elections on August 9, which the opposition said was a major fraudulent gang, were conducted “with absolute fairness”. And Putin calls Belarus, “the country closest to us”.
No EU sanctions
Until now, the international consequences of the Belarusian conflict have been limited. The Baltic countries have imposed sanctions, but the EU has been mostly concerned about the irregularities and police brutality after the elections. Brussels has shown some teeth but has not bitten it, knowing that Russia will not accept direct EU support for the opposition in Belarus. If Russia takes over in Belarus, automatically wiping the opposition off the table, it will probably not stop at European concerns.
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