The Russian Foreign Ministry has “in a comradely manner” urged Belarus to “remain vigilant” in its dealings with the United States. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, TASS reported.
“For our part, we welcome any constructive initiatives in the context of normalizing the Belarusian-American dialogue and lifting unlawful restrictive measures, but at the same time we, in a comradely manner, call on our Belarusian friends to remain vigilant,” he said.
According to him, in this context Russia “values the public statements” of Aliaksandr Lukashenka that a “major deal” between Minsk and Washington is possible only if the national interests of the Republic of Belarus are taken into account and there is no damage to its cooperation with key allies — Russia and China.
Galuzin expressed confidence that attempts by “unfriendly states” to find disagreements between Moscow and Minsk would prove futile.
“However, we are confident that, given the special nature of Russian-Belarusian relations, any attempts by unfriendly states to find ‘gaps’ in our positions in international affairs will remain fruitless,” the diplomat said.
He also described the lifting of US sanctions on Belavia as “good news,” but said this does not mean the end of the West’s transport blockade.
“The removal last November by the administration of [US President] Donald Trump of the airline Belavia from the US Treasury’s ‘blacklists,’ as well as the elimination of pseudo-legal barriers to operating flights to most regions of Russia, which is the main market for this carrier, are certainly good news,” he noted. “At the same time, it should be noted that, in general, the large-scale sanctions regime against Belarus continues to operate,” the deputy minister stressed. “Despite this ‘step toward Minsk’ showcased by the American side, the US administration has not yet abandoned its policy of pressure on Belarus.”
“Moreover, the measure taken does not lead to solving the problem of fully restoring air links and the collective West’s abandonment of the strategy of a transport blockade of our countries,” Galuzin added.
He noted that the authorization applies only to the operation of eight narrow-body Boeing 737 aircraft, and obtaining any American spare part in the event of a malfunction would require separate approval from regulators.
“The White House is ready to use economic leverage at any moment it deems necessary, threatening to revoke the easing and reinstate restrictions,” the Russian diplomat said.
