- There are growing concerns in the West that Russia could become interested in Belarus to help Alexander Lukashenko.
- Putin and the under-fire Belarusian president spoke twice over the weekend.
- Lukashenko’s controversial re-election last week sparked historic protests across the country.
- Trump’s former security adviser John Bolton urged Trump to tell Putin he would stay out of Belarus.
- An unnamed White House official said Russia should respect Belarus’s sovereignty.
- EU leaders have warned the Kremlin not to intervene.
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President Donald Trump must tell Vladimir Putin to “stay out of Belarus,” according to his former national security adviser John Bolton, because fears are growing in the West that Russia could intervene to help President Alexander Lukashenko.
Belarus, which borders Russia, is in the midst of a political upheaval with thousands of people protesting in the streets against the recent re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.
Demonstrations erupted last week after Lukashenko’s office declared him the winner of this month’s presidential election, which the US, UK, European Union, and other Western governments condemned as fraudulent and rigged.
Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, refuses to stand up to national protests and strikes, and told workers at a factory on Monday that there would be no new elections until “you kill me.”
There is growing fear in the West that a desperate Lukashenko could get help from Russia if President Putin feels his sphere of influence is under threat.
Putin and Lukashenko spoke twice over the weekend, the BBC reported, with a Kremlin saying the couple discussed “the situation in Belarus, taking into account the pressure exerted on the republic.”
Putin said he was ready to help Lukashenko “in accordance with the collective military pact as needed,” it added.
Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, tweeted on Monday“The prospect of Russian intervention in Belarus is growing as Soviet holdover Lukashenko struggles to hold on to power. President Trump needs to make it clear that Vladimir Putin must stay out of Belarus – and out of our elections as well!”
Trump described the events in Belarus as a “terrible situation.”
However, an unnamed senior White House official went on to say, tells Reuters that Putin must respect ‘sovereignty in Belarus’.
“The massive number of Belarusians protesting peacefully makes it clear that the government can no longer ignore its call for democracy,” they said.
“President Lukashenko’s remarks today reflect this realization, although the share of power has not yet addressed the lack of free and fair elections.”
“Russia must also respect the sovereignty of Belarus and the rights of its people and choose its own leaders freely and honestly.”
Ahead of a meeting of EU leaders on Wednesday, European Council President Charles Michel appeared to give a warning to the Kremlin, declaring “there should be no interference outside” in Belarus.
A joint statement by five groupings in the European Parliament of the EU went as far as the name of Russia.
“We call on the Russian Federation to refrain from any interference, secret or open, in Belarus after the elections, and call on EU institutions and Member States to genuinely oppose any Russian action in this regard,” they said.
