Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet and Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, said that investments and dialogue should be directed toward Belarusian society rather than Alyaksandr Lukashenka. He made the remarks during the discussion “Europe Against Russia: What Will the Future Be?” held as part of the 11th European Congress of Local Governments in Mikołajki, Poland.
According to Latushka, Belarus’ European neighbors should decide what kind of country they want Belarus to be. If Poland is interested in an independent and democratic Belarus, a specific strategy should be developed. Within such a strategy, Latushka considers the struggle for Belarusian society to be a top priority.
“What should it be like? As President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy rightly said: Europe’s security border should run along the eastern border of Belarus. Investments in this can take many forms, but first and foremost there is now a struggle for society,” he said, as cited by the United Transitional Cabinet.
Latushka stressed that it is important to invest in the information sphere. At present, however, the European Union is doing too little to ensure that Belarusians side with it.
“It is very important to invest in the information sphere so that tomorrow a Russian soldier — or even worse, a Belarusian in a Russian uniform — does not stand at the border. I believe that every European country that is now investing in security at the border is acting correctly. But the European Union is not investing enough to ensure that Belarusians are favorable toward the EU, while Russia is investing hundreds of times more to make them hostile toward Europe.
Investments should be made in society, not in Lukashenka. Dialogue should be conducted with society,” he added.
Latushka noted that the Belarusian economy is experiencing difficulties. Against this background, Alyaksandr Lukashenka is seeking opportunities for contact with Europe, but he should receive clear conditions from the EU.
“Lukashenka’s economy is currently in a very poor state, and he is looking for opportunities for contacts with Europe. But he must receive a clear answer: if you want to reach an agreement with Europe, you must first reach an agreement with the Belarusian people — to sit down at a round table, as happened in Poland. We must force him to make society a subject within the state. If society is not a subject, you may rely on Lukashenka as much as you like — he guarantees nothing and will carry out orders from the Kremlin,” he said.
The Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet also emphasized that Lukashenka is not a guarantor of Belarus’ independence because he has completely “sold foreign policy.” According to Latushka, Belarus also lacks an independent military policy, since support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the organization of hybrid warfare against neighboring countries do not correspond to the interests of the Belarusian people.
During the discussion, Latushka also stressed that Belarusians are a European nation, which makes it important to preserve ties between the people and Europe: issuing more visas, reopening border crossings, and more actively implementing programs to support civil society.
He also noted the importance of holding Lukashenka accountable for aggression against Ukraine, the deportation of Ukrainian children and crimes against humanity committed against the Belarusian people.
