Elements for a quick understanding of the relationship between two countries united by a “beautiful and equal” alliance, as it is emphasized each time. In the last two years there have been eighteen bilateral meetings between Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko. Seventeen of these took place in Russia and only one in Belarus, on December 19, 2022, which was also the shortest of all. The last in chronological order took place yesterday near St. Petersburg. In the magnificent Konstantinovsky Palace, where in another era the first and only G8 summit in Russia was held. The year was 2006. How things are changing.
“All of our plans are being implemented even faster than we expected.” This is how Putin begins by pointing to mutual economic growth. But Lukashenko quickly shifts the conversation to topics that are even more comfortable for the landlord. “Instead, I want to talk about the Ukrainian armed forces.” Saturday was not an easy day for her. More than 15 Leopard and twenty Bradley tanks were destroyed in one battle. This has never happened before. The Russian President makes a clarification. “It happened because on the other side there were departments that were fully equipped with foreign funds. Lukashenko: “According to US estimates, Ukrainian losses since the beginning of the counter-offensive amounted to 26,000 men.” Putin: “More”. The most loyal ally changes the subject. “We are at war against the entire NATO bloc. But there is no counter-offensive.” Putin corrects him again: “No, there is.” But it’s already bankrupt.’
Lukashenko nods. And then he launches his usual harsh attack on the Russian President. “As you said very precisely recently, NATO has started to take active action against Poland and its mercenaries. One of their brigades is stationed forty kilometers from our border. Naturally, Poland asked the question: what are you giving us in return? Money, armaments and Ukraine in NATO are a cover behind what you said the other day.” Putin: “Western Ukraine”. Lukashenko: “Exactly, they want to get their hands on it and annex it to Poland.” The Americans support this plan. But for us it is unacceptable.”
It is at this point and in this context that the Belarusian dictator utters the phrase that gives the title of the day, to please even more Putin, who two days ago spoke of Poland “which should thank Stalin for the territories he gave it”. “Members of the Wagner group are starting to annoy us because they are urging us to go west, towards Warsaw.” I’m keeping them in the center of Belarus, as agreed by us, and I don’t want to move them to where they demand because they’re in a bad mood, and to their credit they know very well what’s happening around our two states. Putin smiles, genuinely amused by the obviously menacing joke aimed at the West.
The two presidents then took a mass bath on Kronstadt Island. Putin hugged a little girl. A journalist from the team that always follows the Kremlin asked him what happened to the quarantine for those who meet the President. Answer: “People are more important than quarantine.” Technical tests of election campaigns. Putin will run for the presidency again next March and is aiming for success with Bulgarian odds. This, too, caused anti-Polish sentiment to thaw, which always cooperates with deeper Russia. It will be a buzzword for the next few months.
Yesterday morning the head of the Duma, Viaceslav Volodin, wrote a post on Telegram in which he accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of giving in to Poland’s “imperial ambitions” and initiating a process of “Polonization” of its people. Just yesterday, the granite cross commemorating the Polish victims of Stalin’s repression disappeared from the memorial cemetery in St. Petersburg.