Inside his grand palace, Lukashenko speaks out on Putin, Prigozhin and the Wagner mutiny

Alexander Lukashenko repeated his declare at the moment that there have been no heroes within the remarkably speedy decision of Prigozhin’s mutiny, thanks at the least partially to his personal mediation efforts.

But the Belarusian chief is actually capitalising on the large media curiosity generated by the entire affair, inviting choose journalists to the grand, marble-drenched Palace of Independence within the centre of Minsk for a morning Q&A, up shut and private with the president.

Not one thing Vladimir Putin has chosen to do, as a substitute internet hosting Dagestani youngsters within the Kremlin and customarily making an attempt to make it appear as if the entire nasty episode is over and carried out with.

But it would not actually appear to be.

The deal that was struck to maintain the Wagnerites from Moscow doesn’t but seem to have been fulfilled.

Yevgeny Prigozhin was not in Belarus however nonetheless in Russia, Mr Lukashenko mentioned, although if anybody thought Mr Putin was so “vindictive and malicious” he may go forward and “whack him someplace tomorrow“… He will not.

As far as Mr Lukashenko believes, Prigozhin is a free man, his possessions returned, all legal circumstances dropped.

Does he see the potential of a rapprochement between Prigozhin and the Kremlin?

He’s unsure, however the two males have identified one another for 30 years, he mentioned, and had loved a “very good relationship with each other, maybe even more than good relations”, no matter which will imply.

Discussions are nonetheless ongoing as to the place and the way Wagner troops in Belarus will likely be primarily based, not essentially on the base close to Osipovichi the place satellite tv for pc imagery suggests a build-up of navy services, however in plenty of different spots, he mentioned.

Are Wagner forces a menace to Belarus?

Does he think about a bunch of battle-hardened, ex-con mercenaries a menace, males who’d marched on Moscow and who may countenance marching on Minsk?

Not in any respect.

Belarus can use their experience, and with 750,000 of his personal troops, it’s not as if Wagner forces can afford to get any good concepts, per the Commander in Chief.

He repeated nonetheless that his forces had been getting ready to deploying to Moscow if the state of affairs with Prigozhin had spiralled, to forestall a doable civil conflict.

Did he suppose the Russian President was weakened by the entire affair?

No, “don’t even hope for that”, he mentioned.

Lukashenko claims Western targets already recognized

The different key matter was nuclear weapons – and the deployment of tactical nuclear warheads to storage websites inside Belarus.

Mr Lukashenko appeared delighted that the switch had occurred with out, he believed, the West having any concept how he and Putin had managed it.

Despite the very fact the Kremlin has at all times maintained any firing rights stay with Russia alone, Mr Lukashenko insisted that any aggression onto Belarusian territory could be met with a response, with targets within the West already recognized, he claimed.

As for the concept that the Chinese President might need warned Russia off utilizing nuclear weapons, as reported by the Financial Times, he mentioned that was simply faux information.

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He is aware of Xi Jinping personally, he mentioned, and he is aware of he would by no means inform Putin that.

This was a method of making an attempt to divide key allies, he mentioned.

Mr Lukashenko was chatty and accommodating. He likes these sorts of occasions.

An opportunity to set out his stall to the worldwide press and soak within the adulation from his personal.

I’d gone with the obscure hope we would see Prigozhin sitting beside him, wheeled out for the event.

But that was to not be.

Still, Mr Lukashenko mentioned he’d move on our request for an interview with the Wagner boss.

Let’s see if that promise holds.