Lukashenko Says He and Putin Joke Over Who Is the Bigger Dictator After 32 Years in Power
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 23
Lukashenko Says He and Putin Joke Over Who Is the Bigger Dictator After 32 Years in Power
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 23
Summary
At a Sept. 17 youth forum in Minsk, Alexander Lukashenko said he and Vladimir Putin often joke and argue over which of them is the “bigger dictator.”
The remark highlighted Minsk’s tight alignment with Moscow: Belarus remains a strategic rear base for Russia’s war on Ukraine, supplying components and allowing strikes from its territory.
Lukashenko, 72, used the same appearance to argue no successor is ready to take power, rejecting claims he is clinging to office after ruling Belarus since 1994.
The comments came as Western pressure on Belarus persists, with Lithuania urging continued sanctions even after Minsk said U.S. potash sales resumed following eased American restrictions.