but the Talks between Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko in Rzhev remained hidden from the public: the leaders left without making any statements to the press. Regularly sounded by the Belarusian President’s accusations against Russia are clearly created not the most favorable to conversation background.
The presidents of Russia and Belarus Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko opened the memorial to Soviet soldiers near Rzhev and laid flowers at it. At the meeting of heads of state embraced, shook hands present at the ceremony, the veterans and talked with them.
Russian and Belarusian leaders laid to the monument garlands of flowers in their hands they carried bouquets of red roses. In addition, the presidents participated in the planting of fir trees in memory of people who died in the great Patriotic war.
After the ceremony, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko held talks. It seems that this was the main purpose of the visit of the Belarusian President. At least, after the leaders had not been time for a thorough discussion on the day of the Victory parade, June 24, Lukashenko the next day promised in the near future, his conversation with Putin will take place.
Sensations this time did not. After negotiations, the parties went silently without making any statements.
However, given the political context in Belarus, this is no surprise. Perhaps for the first time in his political career Alexander Lukashenko leads the presidential campaign, allowing ourselves to such blatant attacks towards Russia.
Belarusian President in recent days has repeatedly made allusions to Russia’s intervention in local elections — ostensibly major opposition funding from Moscow.
Some words Lukashenko is not limited to, three of the most impressive candidates — banker Victor Babariko, the wife of opposition blogger Sergei Tikhanovski Svetlana Tikhanovski and former Lukashenko aide Valery Tsepkalo — one way or another faced with the pressure of the security forces.
For example, Svetlana Tikhanovski participates in the elections only because her husband was detained in the middle of a campaign. Lukashenko admitted that he personally “gave a signal” to the detention of blogger.
a Clear shot in the direction of Russia was the arrest of Victor Babariko. It was accompanied by searches in the office of a daughter “Gazprom” Belgazprombank.
49.8% of shares of Belgazprombank belong to the Russian “Gazprom” and “Gazprombank”. Since Babariko prior to the entry into the presidential race held the post of Chairman of the government Bank, for it was easy to consolidate the status of “Pro-Russian” candidate. In particular, the head of the Belarusian state control Committee Ivan Tertel assures that the operation of Babariko is supposedly the leadership of “Gazprom”.
Russia in the person of press Secretary of the President Dmitry Ne��Cova these accusations has repeatedly denied Moscow was asked to provide evidence (unrequited) said that the elections and even fight with “Belgazprombank” — an internal affair of Belarus.
A further sharp statements by Lukashenko, this approach did not prevent. “When we have this Gazprom Bank slammed, they’ll all understand”, — he explained the situation with searches before the trip to Rzhev. And shortly before that: “They who are pushing us to the dishonesty this how they behave? It is clear that there is behind them are puppeteers. They the one and the other. And live in Poland, and Russia throw.
We talked about this with President Putin talk shortly at the meeting, but this situation is very complicated. The most modern phony technology, is the intervention from abroad in our elections, internal Affairs.”
While superficial acquaintance with the political situation in Belarus is enough to understand: no Babariko or tikhanovski Pro-Russian candidates are not.
Tikhanovski, for example, was arrested for a protest against integration with Russia. Babariko is the sponsor of a number of nationalist Pro-Western media projects also are critical of integration with Russia. Conditionally “Pro-Russian” could be called Valery Tsepkalo. But, as it became known on 30 June, the CEC did not register a candidate, zabrakovat more than half of the submitted signatures.
As the Deputy Dean of the faculty of world economy and world politics HSE Andrew Suzdaltsev, hints Lukashenko on Russia’s influence on elections in the Republic are calculated on the European Union.
“The Belarusian leadership, including Lukashenko, constantly accuses Russia to the West that he is under pressure from Russia, Russia is interfering in the elections in Belarus — he is trying to incite the West Russia”, — the expert believes.
As accusations of meddling in elections in Moscow in the West sound regularly, such steps Lukashenko looks quite pragmatic.
Especially given the significantly warmer in recent years of carrying out the Minsk “multi-vector” foreign policy, relations with the EU and the USA. Suffice it to recall that in a period of very intense discussions roadmaps integration between Russia and Belarus in Minsk for the first time in many years there came a major American officials, agreed to restore relations at the ambassadorial level.
However, this time the anti-Russian card did not work. The European Union, individual European countries and the United States has condemned the arrest of protesters and allegations of Sergei Tikhanovski, and Victor Babariko. The chances that Western partners will remain satisfied with the elections and in the relationship of the parties will be made new progress, almost none.
In the end, Alexander LouKaschenko was in a unique situation: accusing Russia of supporting the opposition candidates for their arrests, the President gets criticism from Europe and the USA.
However, he also plays the card of Belarus as a strong ally of Moscow. However, according to Andrei Suzdaltsev,
Lukashenko and do not depart from this rhetoric in the hope on Russia’s support before the election, in which he simply has nothing to show to the electorate.
“On the one hand, it demonstrates the West that Russia would intervene, that he keeps hitting, saves and calls for the support of the West. But on the other hand, before he yells that he is ready for any integration, just give him the support, resources and money. To the East it completely mirrored policy, and for the domestic market he is talking about the fact that he is the state. That is, Lukashenka is the Belarusian state. In this format all who oppose it, are, it turns out, against the Belarusian state — they are traitors, they are criminals, they should be put in jail, which he does,” — said the expert.
