WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States believes mass protests in Belarus are calling on the government of longtime President Alexander Lukashenko “can no longer ignore” democracy there, a senior Trump administration official said. Monday.
PHOTO PHOTO: US President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, US, August 15, 2020. REUTERS / Sarah Silbiger
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said that Russia should stay out of the situation that is brewing in the Eastern European country, and said that Moscow “must also respect the sovereignty of Belarus and the right of its people around it. to choose one’s own leaders freely and freely. ”
Security forces clashed with Protestants in Minsk and other cities after Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in a vote his opponents say was rigged.
Lukashenko said on Monday he would be ready to hold new elections and hand over power to a constitutional referendum in an attempt to pacify the protests and strikes that pose the biggest challenge so far in his 26-year rule.
US President Donald Trump called it a “terrible situation” that developed in Belarus.
The senior administration official said the United States was closely following developments in Belarus.
“The massive number of Belarusians protesting peacefully makes it clear that the government can no longer ignore its call for democracy,” the official 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 right of its people to choose their own leaders freely and freely,” the official said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday that the United States was discussing the situation in Belarus with the European Union after the disputed elections and the subsequent crackdown on Protestants.
Speaking in Warsaw, Pompeo, his last stop on a tour of Central Europe, said that Washington was following the situation in Belarus and that the aim of contacts with the EU was to “try as best as possible to help the White -Russian people to achieve sovereignty and freedom. ”
The situation in Belarus, a strategically important country that provides Russian energy exports to the West, is flowing after the biggest demonstration to date against Lukashenko’s rule on Sunday.
Protestants said the president had massively rigged the vote to ensure a false land gain. Opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was the real winner, they say.
Report by Steve Holland and Daphne Psaledakis; Edited by Dan Grebler and Paul Simao
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