“These Are More Like Meetings of Conspirators Who Have Decided to Turn the World Upside Down.” Why Did Lukashenka Suddenly Fly to Putin?

Why is the Russian president ignoring trips to Belarus?
On 23 June, Aliaksandr Lukashenka flew to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin.

The press secretary of the head of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists that on Thursday and Friday the politicians would communicate informally.

The Telegram channel “Pul Pervogo” specified that on Saturday, 25 June, a working meeting between Lukashenka and Putin would take place in St Petersburg.

Meanwhile, it had previously been planned that the leaders of the two countries would meet a week later.

Putin was planning to come to Hrodna for the Forum of Regions of the Union State (30 June-1 July), Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said.

UDF (https://udf.name/) asked experts what might be the reason for the urgent meeting of the leaders of the two countries and why Putin is avoiding trips to Belarus.

Director of the Political Sphere Institute and Doctor of Political Science Andrei Kazakevich noted in a comment to UDF (https://udf.name/) that the current format of communication between Putin and Lukashenka has taken shape since the beginning of the political crisis in Belarus in 2020.

Photo: dw.com
“At that time, Moscow’s position became the decisive factor that allowed Lukashenka to retain power.

Trips to Putin were important for him in order to demonstrate support from the Kremlin.

Moscow, in turn, wanted to make maximum use of Lukashenka’s weakening to advance its agenda in negotiations.

In addition, it was important for it to demonstrate at least one ally to domestic and external audiences,” Kazakevich said.

He added:
“After the start of the war against Ukraine, the importance of this ally for Moscow increased even further, and the agenda of bilateral negotiations grew many times over.

Now Putin and Lukashenka discuss Ukraine itself, the conflict with the West, and the reaction to sanctions, which are fundamentally restructuring the economies of the two countries.”

Why has Putin not visited Belarus for three years?
“First, he now travels very little in general: the stories about his self-isolation and restrictions on social contacts are well known.

Second, it is convenient for Putin to receive Lukashenka from the position of the master of the situation.

Third, perhaps during the protests in 2020 there were considerations that a visit should not irritate those Belarusians who do not like Lukashenka but do like Putin,” Kazakevich believes.

Will the Russian president fly to Hrodna in a week?
“The visit will probably depend largely on the security issue.

Tension on the western border makes the trip not very comfortable for Putin.

In any case, Putin’s visit to Belarus will no longer be routine, especially to Hrodna during the war,” Kazakevich believes.

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