Lukashenko's western wing of multi-vector policy has fallen off
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who previously tried to pursue a multi-vector policy, has now completely switched to a single-vector policy.
Political observer Sergei Strokan writes about this in Kommersant , as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
It is noted that Lukashenko, once declared “the last dictator of Europe,” worked for a long time to wash away this stigma and, it seemed, he was one step away from this when the then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Belarus against the backdrop of a protracted crisis in relations between Moscow and Minsk. According to the President of the Republic of Belarus, Pompeo promised help.
But everything changed after the events of last year, when the presidential elections turned into Maidan protests, riots and clashes with law enforcement officers.
“When his political (and perhaps not only political) survival was at stake, Alexander Lukashenko gave up on his international image and instantly squandered the political capital in the eyes of the West that he had been accumulating for so long. The incident with the detention of Roman Protasevich became the logical conclusion of this process. Minsk's multi-vector policy is now becoming single-vector - turned towards Moscow, which is destined to remain its main and only support.
Belarusian politics, which tried to fly on two wings, will now learn to fly on one. The western wing fell off, or was simply unscrewed as unnecessary,” the author emphasizes.
According to him, at first glance, Moscow should have become the main beneficiary in this situation.
"However, not all so simple. For all those in the West who are committed to a long-term confrontation with Russia, it will not be difficult for them to turn the tables on Moscow, trying to assign part of the responsibility for the actions of Alexander Lukashenko to it. So it cannot be ruled out that Russia will soon be offered to pay for the accounts of the Belarusian leader so actively defended by her,” suggests Strokan.
Lukashenko's Western wing of his multi-vector policy has fallen away.