Lukashenko Warns West Of 'Consequences' For Unleashing Economic War Against Belarus, Russia

Russian ally and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday criticized the West and said the "Union State of Russia and Belarus" will not tolerate their antics forever. 

What Happened: The state-owned Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported that Lukashenko, in a meeting with Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast Governor Anton Alikhanov in Minsk, said, "Belarus and Russia have been tolerating the West’s antics for the time being. But there is a limit to everything."

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Lukashenko criticized the West’s attempt in 2022 to restrict Belarus’ communication with Kaliningrad Oblast and hinder the free movement of goods between Russia and Belarus, stating that it was destined to fail.

"Today we are absolutely sure of this. No matter how hard they try to divide us with artificial barriers, they will fail," the president said.

He blamed the West for unleashing an "economic war” against the two allies and added that its policy was likely to backfire

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"This is something that the hotheads in the West have been trying to do with respect to Belarus and Russia for a while. Such policies have consequences. We are not threatening anyone. We just protect our interests — those of Belarus and Russia. We have been tolerating these stupid policies, though with great difficulty. But this cannot go on indefinitely. The Baltic states, and probably Poland too, should understand it very well," the president said.

Why It Matters: The Belarusian dictator is a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin and helped the Kremlin launch its full-scale Ukraine invasion last year. Earlier this month, Moscow also moved ahead with its plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Minsk, driving massive criticism from the U.S. and its allies.

Lukashenko last week also said that he would offer nuclear weapons to nations willing "to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus."

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