Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko revealed during a speech to youth leaders in Minsk that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly joke and argue over which of them qualifies as the ultimate dictator.
The Belarusian leader's comments at "Youth. Belarus. Future." Sept. 17 also underlines the close alignment between Moscow and Minsk with Lukashenko enjoying his position as Europe’s longest-serving head of state.
Lukashenko has ruled over Belarus unhindered since 1994, with Putin leading Russia since 2012, also serving as president between 2000 and 2008.
"You know what they say about me?" Lukashenko asked the audience during his Sept. 17 address, according to Novaya Gazeta.
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"[I am] the last dictator, the second-to-last dictator in Europe. Dictator, dictator. Vladimir Putin and I often joke and argue over which of us is more of a dictator.
"They say I’m the last dictator, the last dictator in Europe. Dictator — so be it. Well, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and I often argue, jokingly, about which of us is the bigger dictator."
Lukashenko, 72, a former Soviet collective farm manager, is also known to be Putin’s closest international partner and ally.
While Minsk has not committed ground troops to the war in Ukraine, it serves as a strategic staging ground for Moscow, with Russia relying on Belarus for military and strategic support in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
According to the Kyiv Post, Belarus specifically provides Russia with key weapons components and allows its forces to launch military strikes from Belarusian territory.
An August report by Ukrainska Pravda also highlighted a new railway construction capable of handling military trains in Belarus' Gomel Oblast near the Ukraine border.
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The strength of the relationship between the two countries comes as Western officials increase pressure on Moscow and its allies and with the two leaders reported to be in frequent contact.
After meeting in Moscow Aug. 27, Lukashenko officially congratulated Putin Sept. 21 after the Russian election results.
He praised the "unprecedented turnout of millions of voters" and the majority secured by the United Russia party, calling it a proper response to "cynical attempts from the outside to discredit the campaign and sow discord."
Addressing the youth forum in Minsk on political succession in Belarus, Lukashenko insisted no one is prepared to take over power.
"Never believe those who say that Lukashenko is ‘clinging to power with blue-knuckled hands’," he told the audience.
"Good Lord, let them say it. I have had my fill of this power to the point where I could not possibly want any more of it.
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"The only question is whether you are capable today of taking over the country and holding on to it," he added. "If you are, start tomorrow. To be frank, I cannot yet answer that question positively. Do not take offense.
"I became a dictator then because I stood up against the entire ‘civilized world.'"
Western nations maintain strict economic pressure on Minsk. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys recently reiterated the Baltic nation's firm stance.
"We do not see any reasons why our position on Belarus should soften as Belarus is not changing its behavior," Budrys said.
"On our side, we have to be very exact and continue what works, and that is the pressure on the regime."
Despite international sanctions, Lukashenko announced Sept. 11 that Belarus has begun selling potash, a primary export used in fertilizer, to the United States.
While Western nations maintain economic restrictions over human rights abuses, U.S. sanctions on Belarusian potash were lifted after recent political prisoner releases, though European Union sanctions remain active.
