Lukashenko Discusses Joking Rivalry with Putin Over Dictatorship

<p>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.</p><p>The Belarusian leader's comments at the "Youth. Belarus. Future." forum on September 17 also underline the close alignment between Moscow and Minsk, with Lukashenko serving as Europe’s longest-serving head of state.</p><p>Lukashenko has ruled over Belarus since 1994, while Putin has led Russia since 2012, having also served as president from 2000 to 2008.</p><p>"You know what they say about me?" Lukashenko asked the audience during his September 17 address, according to Novaya Gazeta.</p><p>"[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.</p><p>"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."</p><p>Lukashenko, 72, a former Soviet collective farm manager, is known to be Putin’s closest international partner and ally.</p><p>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.</p><p>According to the Kyiv Post, Belarus specifically provides Russia with key weapons components and allows its forces to launch military strikes from Belarusian territory.</p><p>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.</p><p>The strength of the relationship between the two countries comes as Western officials increase pressure on Moscow and its allies, with the two leaders reported to be in frequent contact.</p><p>After meeting in Moscow on August 27, Lukashenko officially congratulated Putin on September 21 after the Russian election results.</p><p>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."</p><p>Addressing the youth forum in Minsk on political succession in Belarus, Lukashenko insisted no one is prepared to take over power.</p><p>"Never believe those who say that Lukashenko is ‘clinging to power with blue-knuckled hands,’" he told the audience.</p><p>"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.</p><p>"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.</p><p>"I became a dictator then because I stood up against the entire ‘civilized world.'"</p><p>Western nations maintain strict economic pressure on Minsk. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys recently reiterated the Baltic nation's firm stance.</p><p>"We do not see any reasons why our position on Belarus should soften as Belarus is not changing its behavior," Budrys said.</p><p>"On our side, we have to be very exact and continue what works, and that is the pressure on the regime."</p><p>Despite international sanctions, Lukashenko announced on September 11 that Belarus has begun selling potash, a primary export used in fertilizer, to the United States.</p><p>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.</p>