MOSCOW
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has served in the position since 1994, pledged on Friday not to seek another term.
In an interview with Time magazine, clips of which were aired on Belarusian state First TV, Lukashenko claimed that even in the last election in 2020, he was also ready to step down, but changed his mind when the public said giving up his post would be a kind of betrayal.
"Honestly speaking, for the second time in my life, I was already prepared to step down during the previous elections, knowing that people would undoubtedly support me and so on," said Lukashenko. “But they said—no, we are not ready. And it was framed as if I were a traitor who wanted to flee. So I had to stay.”
Lukashenko also said he has no plans to try to make his son Nikolai his successor.
"No, he is not a successor. I knew you would ask about this," he said.
"No, no. Ask him yourself; you might hurt his feelings very much."
According to Lukashenko, Nikolai has "somewhat oppositional views within limits," although he supports his father’s actions and has great insight.
Speaking about a possible successor, Lukashenko hoped that his successor would be a "reasonable, normal person."
"He may pursue different policies. I'd just ask him not to break everything but to proceed as I did—building upon what already exists, calmly and evolutionarily developing the country. To avoid revolutionary upheaval," he said.
- Lukashenko urges peace in Ukraine through negotiations
In Lukashenko's view, Russia cannot suffer defeat in Ukraine because it possesses "the world's largest nuclear arsenal."
He hinted that Moscow could resort to using nuclear weapons in critical situations, which would make its "defeat very costly for everyone."
The Belarusian president called for negotiations and expressed readiness to organize a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine in Belarus, stressing that talks may prevent future conflicts between these two countries "if conducted wisely."
According to Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin would gladly meet with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in Minsk, and the latter "would also be pleased with such a meeting."
It would also be beneficial for the American leader to meet with him personally, Lukashenko said, adding that he doubted Washington's seriousness in lifting sanctions against his country.
- Belarus prepares for war to avoid it
Assumptions that Russia intends to attack Poland and the Baltic states are complete nonsense, he said: "I know this for certain. Neither Putin nor the Russian military-political leadership wants to fight NATO."
Western countries work diligently to project an image of a "bloodthirsty" Russian leader, despite reality contradicting this narrative, he said.
"It’s unfair to say that Russia strikes peaceful civilians while Ukrainians are fluffy and wear white gloves," noted the president.
Lukashenko urged Americans to "stir" their country's leader, Donald Trump, to prompt Volodymyr Zelenskyy toward a ceasefire.
Belarus’ security concept holds that in a potential war with Europe, the republic might not win, but it would inflict significant damage on Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and other countries, he said.
Belarus prepares daily and monthly for war to avoid one, he said.
"Our country's concept is based on our readiness to inflict unacceptable damage on Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - or anyone who dares to wage war against us. Unacceptable damage. This is just one of the elements I mentioned. Therefore, they understand that even if we don't win here, we'll beat them up."
"And Russia helps and will help us as an ally in the volume needed today," he said.
Nobody wants to use nuclear weapons, but both Russia and Belarus will respond with all available means if anyone crosses their borders, he warned.
Lukashenko reminded that the advanced Russian "Oreshnik" missile complex, promised by Russia to be delivered to Belarus by year-end, can carry nuclear warheads.
Positions for deploying the Oreshnik missile system in Belarus have already been determined and developed, he informed.
When asked about relations with China, the Belarusian leader responded that his relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping is "very solid and almost familial."
