Lukashenka’s Scripted Move Fails

The Kremlin Reminds the Dictator of His Place.

Political analyst Valery Karbalevich, in an article for Pozirk, highlights an interesting moment from the press conference following Lukashenka’s talks with Putin on March 13. Despite the carefully staged event, an awkward situation arose. A Belarusian journalist from a state-run TV channel asked whether Russia was ready to consider Belarus’s interests in future peace negotiations.

It was clearly a scripted question, aligning with Lukashenka’s previous statements. On October 17, 2024, he had declared:

"I have always insisted—and I tell both Ukrainians and Russians, and I warned Putin—that Belarusians must be present at any negotiations on Ukraine. Why? Because this is our issue. I don't want decisions to be made there—our decisions—without us. [...] They could make decisions that would force us to give up half the country tomorrow."

From the start of the war, Lukashenka has pushed for peace talks to be held in Belarus, seeking the role of mediator in the process. In an interview with Nawfal, he even urged Donald Trump, Putin, and Zelensky to come to Minsk. Similar themes appeared in his conversation with Skabeeva.

Under Minsk’s scenario, it seems that Putin was expected to affirm Belarus’s role in any Ukraine peace talks.

However, Putin disrupted this carefully crafted narrative and refused to play along. Instead of endorsing Belarus’s participation, the Russian leader bluntly admitted he didn’t understand the question—though he added, almost as an afterthought, that Russia always considers the interests of its closest ally in international discussions.

Meanwhile, Lukashenka, attempting to mask the failure, quickly backtracked: "I’m not eager to join the negotiations," he insisted. After three years of pushing for talks in Belarus, he suddenly changed his mind.

This episode vividly illustrates the role Russia assigns to Belarus—not as an independent player, but merely as a tool for advancing Moscow’s imperial ambitions.

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