Sanctions ‘pushing world to World War Three’, says Belarus leader

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Alexander Lukashenko made the remarks as Russia continues to face international sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine last week (Pictures: Getty/AFP/EPA)

The President of Belarus has said the international sanctions against Russia are ‘pushing the world to the brink of World War Three’, as he faced international condemnation for offering his country’s territory to Vladimir Putin.

Russia forces to Belarus last week, under the pretext of military drills, only for soldiers to enter Ukraine from the country as of its widescale invasion on Thursday.

Alexander Lukashenko, who previously said Russian nuclear weapons could be based in Belarus, faced tough sanctions against his country from the West in response.

‘Now there is a lot of talk against the banking sector, gas, oil, SWIFT,’ Lukashenko was quoted as saying.

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‘It’s worse than war. This is pushing Russia into a Third World War. We need to be restrained here so as not to get into trouble. Because nuclear war is the end of everything.’

After warning French president Emmanuel Macron of further action if the US supplied nuclear weapons to neighbors and Nato members Poland and Lithuania, the authoritarian Belarusian leader said: ‘We have developed plans to protect Belarus and agreed with Putin to deploy such weapons here that will make Poles and Lithuanians lose any desire to go to war.’

In a televised address on Sunday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in Russian – which is widely spoken in Belarus: ‘The Russian military is launching missiles at Ukraine from your territory.

Mr Lukashenko has faced international condemnation for offering Belarusian territory to Russia, which it used to enter Ukraine (Picture: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Russia is an ally of Belarus, after Mr Lukashenko dependent on Russia to deal with civilians protesting a presidential election the West and opponents considered as rigged (Picture: AFP) Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Mr Lukashenko to ‘be Belarus, not Russia’ amid the ongoing crisis (Picture: EPA)

‘From your territory they are killing our children, they are destroying our homes and trying to blow up everything that has been built for decades.

‘We are your neighbors. Be Belarus, not Russia.’

Mr Lukashenko soon criticized Mr Zelensky’s comments, describing the Ukrainian leader as an American puppet and claiming Russia’s attack followed a failure to renounce Ukraine’s bid to join Nato at the demand of President Putin.

The Belarus leader’s interventions come as Belarusians cast ballots in a referendum on the country’s constitution which could see him extend his 27-year presidency until 2035.

If the proposals are backed by voters, which Mr Lukashenko is confident will happen, ‘newly elected presidents’ will only be allowed to serve two five-year terms.

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It means the politician could have an extra 10 years in office once his current presidency expires in 2025.

The vote has been criticized as a ‘pseudo referendum’ by Stanislav Shushkevich, who was Belarus’ first leader after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He told the Associated Press: ‘The absurdity that is going on now directly contradicts the existing main law that envisages Belarus’s neutral status.

‘Lukashenko is depriving Belarus of its future and turning the country into a staging ground for Putin’s mad games.’

Mr Lukashenko is an ally of Mr Putin’s, after the Kremlin supported him with dealing with mass demonstrations in 2020 following his election as president for the sixth time.

The vote, carried out in August 2020, has been considered rigged by both the West and the country’s opposition, while 35,000 protestors were arrested after demanding a fresh vote.

The crackdown caused political rival Sviatama Tsikhanouskaya to flee the country, as the opposition branded the 2020 vote a ‘farce’.

Ms Tsikhanouskaya has since said the Russian invasion of Ukraine is widely opposed by Belarusians.

She said: ‘Belarusians’ hearts hurt as it’s not just the fate of Ukraine but also our fate that is decided now.

‘We realise that Belarus’s independence is closely connected with Ukraine’s independence.’

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