Pavel Usau: One should not hope for a new political thaw

A politologist comments on Lukashenka’s loud statements in Kazakhstan regarding the relations with the USA and the EU.

As Pavel Usau reckons, nothing extraordinary happened to Alyaksandr Lukashenka, it was just his usual rhetoric he already used before. He has repeatedly said that all problems in relations with the West arise only due to the activity of the Belarusian opposition, Euroradio reports.

Nevertheless, the West continues to demand democratization of Belarus and release of all political prisoners.

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, is expected to arrive in Warsaw on May 27. He plans to attend the Central and Eastern European Summit, which will focus on the situation in North Africa and Belarus. Will Lukashenka feel uncomfortable so close to the American president?

“I do not think Obama’s stay in Warsaw, so close to Belarus, will make Lukashenka feel uncomfortable. This visit is not symbolic for Lukashenka, because Belarus is under shelter of Russia. This, in fact, will not change the policy of the EU and the US. To be more precise, it is not a policy, because all their sanctions are just declarations,” Pavel Usau comments.

The politologist believes that the Belarusian leader will soon begin trading in political prisoners:

“Trading in political prisoners will start, I am 100 percent sure. But it will begin only after everyone is sentenced. It’s highly important for the regime to have logic in verdicts. Their logic aims to intimidating the opposition and society. The trade will be very long and the prices will be very high, especially for presidential candidates Sannikov, Statkevich and Uss. If Europe grants a loan to develop economy, the release will happen soon, but it does not mean that the political situation in Belarus will improve. One should not hope for a new political thaw.”