Skvernel on Lukashenko: It’s hard to understand how to hate your nation

“It’s hard to see: how much you need to be in power and hate your nation to insult your state and its people for offended ambitions,” he wrote on Facebook.

“If the decisions Lukashenko is talking about today are made, they will first cross Belarus itself,” Skvernel said.

Linkevičius: goes to the bank

Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said on Friday that Lukashenko’s threats to impose sanctions on Lithuania and Poland are his natural behavior: Belarus’s authoritarian leader seeks to preserve his position at all costs.

“It just came to our notice then. Naturally, he goes to the bank he goes, defending it in every way he understands,” the minister told BNS by phone from Berlin on Friday.

“Some of their actions are inappropriate, but it is difficult to judge anything here, it is a natural defensive behavior to remain in that position, without ignoring either the internal situation or the pressure from the international community,” he added.

“Let’s put them in their place”

Belarusian President Lukashenko said on Friday that he was ready to announce retaliatory sanctions against Lithuania and Poland, which plan to take action against the authoritarian leader on suspicion of election fraud and police violence against protesters.

“It just came to our knowledge then. If they [lietuviai ir lenkai] it still flew to China and Russia via us, now it will fly via the Baltic Sea or the Black Sea to trade with Russia and the like. About sanctioned products [kuriems Rusiją yra paskelbusi embargą] – Let’s not even dream. We will show them what the sanctions mean, ”Lukashenko told the state news agency BelTA.

It stated that Belarus would refuse to use Lithuanian ports for the export of its products, through which mainly potassium salt and petroleum products are exported.

“I have already instructed the government to submit proposals on all flows of goods from Lithuanian ports to others. Here we will see how they will live. 30 percent The Lithuanian budget is made up of the flows of our goods through Lithuania. What more is needed? “We will put him in his place,” Lukashenko said.

Several European Union foreign ministers, including heads of Baltic diplomacy, on Thursday called for tougher sanctions on the Lukashenko regime.

For the third week in a row, Belarus faces massive protests against the results of the presidential elections on August 9, showing Lukashenko’s landslide victory. Western countries and the opposition consider these elections to be rigged.