Lukashenko expressed his point of view about Putin and Zelenskyy
In his talk with Japanese TBS TV channel, the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, answered two questions, concerning his personal assessments of the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, BelTA reports
“This is my personal point of view, maybe not very accurate, regarding one president and the other one. Thank you for asking these questions. This is the first time I am answering them,” said the Belarusian leader.
About Putin
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised that Vladimir Putin and he meet not just as heads of state: the presidents are on friendly terms, “I am familiar with all the details there, as far as possible: politics-related and personal. We have met many times and will continue to meet. Anytime. He can call me, or I can call him. If there is a need to talk or to meet, we do – without any problems.”
The President of Belarus noted that his Russian counterpart is in excellent shape, despite some talk about this. He is sure that this is being done in order to undermine confidence in the president within Russia. “It won’t work!” underlined the Belarusian leader.
“I know why you are asking this question. If you think that President Putin is physically unwell or something else has happened with him, he is – as we often say – healthier than ever. He will catch a cold many times at the funerals of all of you, as our saying goes. He is an absolutely clear-headed and normal man,” asserted the Head of State. “So let the West, and you too, stop speaking of this nonsense. Putin is absolutely adequate and is on the top of his form. He is performing his functional duties according to the new Constitution.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also noted that, under the new Constitution of the Russian Federation, the government and parliament have greater powers now and deal with relevant issues, while the president has received fewer duties, “He is exercising them in full. He is a completely clear-minded and healthy person. He is a sportsman and is physically fit,” summed up the Belarusian Head of State.
About Zelenskyy
“I can only express my point of view regarding Volodymyr Zelenskyy now. I believe that he does not manage the processes in Ukraine much. Even before the conflict, he did not penetrate deep into these processes, probably due to being professionally unprepared or his unreadiness. However, he is a smart person. I hoped that after gaining some experience, during the second presidential term, he would absolutely adequately manage the situation in Ukraine. It did not happen; the conflict began,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The President believes that in the current situation, it is by no means the President of Ukraine who is in charge of the military processes, but representatives of the West do it for him, “Now (this is my own belief, maybe I’m wrong) certain people are already managing the situation directly from Kiev, primarily, on the frontline. Zelenskyy is not in charge of the whole process. It is not even advisers who tell the military how to behave. It is the representatives of the West and the United States who have taken full control of the military action against Russia.”
The President of Belarus also recalled that western countries officially supply Ukraine with the most modern weapons. “I think they are in charge of the full military resistance, the military process in Ukraine,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
As far as Volodymyr Zelenskyy is concerned, according to the President of Belarus, he is mainly guided by the position of US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “Roughly speaking, Zelenskyy has two phones on his desk: one is a telephone, and the other one is a satellite connection with Biden [US President] and British Prime Minister Johnson. Basically, he is controlled by these two leaders. He is not independent in his actions. Not just because he can’t run things there. It is because he will not be allowed to do things differently,” Aleksandr Lukashenko is confident.
He also stressed that what is happening now in Ukraine is beneficial to the United States and its allies in order to get both Belarus and Russia into this conflict: “So that we are immersed in this conflict and stop caring about Japan, Syria, China, Africa, and Venezuela.”
“Therefore, they will do everything to restrain Zelenskyy if he wants to act otherwise. They will do everything to make things worse for Russia and, certainly, for us too. Here is my assessment. This is my opinion based on an analysis of the situation,” added the Head of State.
