The West has no carrots left for Belarus
The West's policy of supporting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has reached a dead end.
Maria Snegovaya, a research fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, stated this on the UkrlifeTV YouTube channel, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“In recent years, the West, taking into account the fact that the Kremlin is putting pressure on Belarus, and Lukashenko is trying to maneuver towards Europe and the USA, has tried to use this. In particular, the United States has been actively strengthening ties with Belarus over the past year, and even the ambassador was reinstated. And today the West finds itself in a trap.
On the one hand, there was the development of relations with Lukashenko in defiance of the Kremlin. But now Lukashenko has become unshakable for the West. It is difficult to continue a relationship with a person who so powerfully represses his own people. And at the same time, Lukashenko went over to the side of the Kremlin. In fact, the West doesn’t have any good options right now,” Snegovaya said.
She believes that the West should apply tough sanctions against Lukashenko and Russia, but does not dare to do so.
“The only option is the whip. There is no gingerbread. The whip is tough sanctions against Lukashenko and the Kremlin. But, alas, Western countries are not ready for this yet. If the leadership in the country changed, then some negotiations would begin and support would be provided. But here everything depends on the Kremlin’s position. Because the Kremlin will perceive this as an attempt to drag Belarus into a conditional Western policy, and the situation will become more difficult for Belarusians inside the country, since Russia’s penetration into Belarus is very powerful,” Snegovaya said.
The West has no more carrots for Belarus.