Interview to Mir TV and Radio Company

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko gave an interview to the Mir TV and Radio Company on 8 April.

The President sat down for an interview with Radik Batyrshin, Chairman of the Interstate TV and Radio Company Mir. He has been working in this position since 2007. Radik Batyrshin has taken part in a number of major television projects, acted as an author and organizer of socially significant information events, including the international telethon Our Victory celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Memory Watch project to mark the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

The interview covered a wide range of topics, including interstate cooperation in such associations as the CIS, EAEU and BRICS, trade and economic cooperation with individual countries and on the global track, ensuring security in the region and improving people’s wellbeing. Special attention was paid to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the need to preserve historical memory.

Among the key topics discussed were the upcoming 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the preservation of historical memory. One of the questions was why the Belarusian head of state regularly attends the Victory Day parades in Moscow, why it has become a tradition for him to celebrate 9 May both in Minsk and in Moscow.

The Belarusian leader noted that it all started when Boris Yeltsin was President of Russia. There were some tensions during one of their first meetings in Moscow: Boris Yeltsin was cautious about Lukashenko, the head of Belarus that just gained independence along with other former Soviet states. However, Aleksandr Lukashenko quickly clarified his unchanged good attitude toward Russia and its people. "I said then: 'Boris Nikolaevich [Yeltsin], if you think I came to Moscow a foreign city, you are mistaken. This is my Moscow too,'" the President recalled. "Boris Nikolaevich softened up; the conversation began…"

The head of state recalled that the first Victory Parade was held on Red Square in Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, a dear place for Soviet people. After the USSR’s dissolution, the tradition to hold parades there remained. "Parades on Red Square have always taken place, both when we were one state and when we went our separate paths," Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.

Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin began inviting leaders of the post-Soviet states to attend the Victory Parade in Moscow. However, for various reasons not all of them were able to participate in the event in the Russian capital on that day. "But we always maintained that 9 May is Victory Day, and not to attend the parade on Red Square would be simply wrong, not because it is our common victory, but because I represent the heroic Belarusian people," Aleksandr Lukashenko explained. "That’s why it became a tradition for me. I participate in events in the Russian Federation and then return home.”  Upon returning form Moscow the President attends Victory Day celebrations in Minsk.

Minsk alternates parades on Victory Day and Independence Day on 3 July. According to the President, such events are not about saber-rattling. They serve to demonstrate that Belarus has the necessary capabilities to protect itself and the peaceful labor of its people.

Aleksandr Lukashenko drew close attention to the matter of development of the Belarusian economy during an interview. 

The growth rate of the Belarusian economy totaled about 4% in 2024.

Asked whether it will be possible to preserve this dynamics this year, Aleksandr Lukashenko offered an opinion: “Yes, the growth rate will be somewhere close to that.” At the same time he pointed out that it is rather difficult to constantly increase the growth rate due to the high baseline: “The baseline, to which we add percentage, grows higher all the time.”

“It is easier to grow in comparison with zero than in comparison with 90%. This is why naturally [economic growth of] 4.5% or 5% cannot be constantly maintained either in Belarus or Russia,” the President stressed. “But don’t worry because the one percent or the two percent we will gain in 2027-2030 will add more weight than today’s 3%, 4% or 5%. This is why one cannot hope that we will gain 5% every time.”

At the same time Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the expansion of the Belarusian economy in 2024 was larger than the expansion of the German economy. “And we can talk about it because we didn’t have a zero. We had a very high economic baseline and it is very difficult for us to add 4%,” the head of state noted.

According to the President, credit where credit is due, it is necessary to thank the Western companies that no longer operate in Belarus and Russia, thus benefiting the domestic producers. “Providing for people is a very important sphere. And Belarus has something to provide people with,” the head of state stressed.

Belarusian high-tech enterprises have also been given an advantage. One of them is Integral Company. “Only Belarus has preserved the foundations of microelectronics and today we are in demand on our main market and not only on the Russian market,” the President continued.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also stressed: “In other words, we have preserved our school of expertise. We’ve preserved our capabilities. And it gave us serious gains, including in economy. Primarily thanks to the Russian market. For defense weapons, for the space industry, for the nuclear power plant we make a very great deal and we supply most of our high-tech products to Russia’s technological industries.”

When asked about the importance of the EAEU, the Belarusian leader stated that a lot can be said about it. He named one of the key factors: "We all still speak the same language," he said. "Our main language which we are fluent in is Russian. This means a lot. We don’t need translators: farmers, workers, intellectuals can communicate directly, not to mention the leadership of our countries. This is very important."

He also pointed to the cultural similarities of the peoples of the EAEU states, who coexist in harmony. "Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Orthodox Christians all live here. Do we look at each other with hostility? No, we have found common ground. Certain disagreements still exist, and they always will be there, but we are united, we are close people. We celebrate Easter, as well as Nowruz all together: Muslims, Christians, Jews," the Belarusian President stated.

We need to build and develop trade and economic cooperation based on these relationships, Aleksandr Lukashenko believes. "It is a great achievement that we have maintained this unity," he stressed. "We need this to preserve our market. The market is of paramount importance. We must develop our market, grow, and, bluntly speaking, conquer other markets, cooperate with other countries, rather than compete pointlessly with each other. We need to unite. We can achieve this within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, where we are currently presiding [Belarus is currently holding the EAEU presidency], and also within the Commonwealth of Independent States, where we have a free trade zone."

One of the questions to the Belarusian head of state was about the trade war, which had broken out in the global market following the U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to hike tariffs for a number of countries.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said that he is concerned about the U.S. President’s statements. “I have discussed the matter with Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin]. I expressed my point of view trying to somehow talk him over to my side. I am confident that we need to watch what comes next [in regard to Trump's actions and the current situation in the USA],” the Belarusian leader said.

“Do you think everything is going to be like Donald has said? Already yesterday he said that he was ready to negotiate a deal on tariffs with China or someone else. This means they are ready to back down,” the President said. “Apparently, Donald Trump took a look at what he did and thought: ‘That is probably a bit harsh. Perhaps there is a need to calculate and back down somewhere”. After all, from the economic point of view, Trump's decision looks illogical,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “On the other hand, we should wait and see what comes next.”

The USA is one of the world’s leading economies and holds a significant share of global GDP. Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced, however, that this still does not guarantee its sustainability at a time of increased import tariffs for so many countries.

Trump has imposed tariffs on the countries that account for a significant share of global GDP. “Trump declared trade war on 75% of the world in terms of GDP. These include Japan, the European Union and many others. They say they will make do. Perhaps they will. They will manufacture their own products and provide for 300 million people. After all, they print the U.S. dollar. Well, it may work today. But what will happen tomorrow?” the head of state said.

He said that he is calmly observing the situation. “Why should we and Russia be concerned about it? They have imposed so many tariffs and sanctions against us that there is simply no room for more. We have survived, we have withstood,” the President said. Aleksandr Lukashenko is sure that Belarus and Russia should proceed in the same way, especially in relation to the proposals and promises made by Western partners. “We should hold this stance; we should not take their word for anything... They ask us for a 30-day ceasefire, other things while giving us nothing in return. What can we talk about here? We do not want to be deceived once again,” the head of state explained. “We need to strengthen our own positions.”

The conversation also touched upon the recent sporting events, including the historically significant achievement of Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky's record for career goals in the regular championships of the National Hockey League, scoring his 895th goal on 6 April.

“[Alexander] Ovechkin is a great athlete. He is our guy, a Russian man,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. The President made an emphasis on the fact that the Russian hockey player set a new record abroad, not at home, in Russia. He plays for Washington Capitals in the NHL tournament. Some probably did not like it, because there is enough jealousy of others’ successes among athletes. In general, however, the Russian player’s achievement drew a lot of positive feedback. “Of course, there is jealousy. But look how happy everyone was about it. It is Sasha Ovechkin, a Russian man, who rewrote the NHL record books. He is our pride,” the President said, adding that Ovechkin’s record will be hard to surpass.

“As a keen hockey lover, I can't help but be proud and happy. Well done indeed! I will take this opportunity to congratulate him from the bottom of my heart,” the head of state emphasized. “We are proud of him.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko added that he had been following Alexander Ovechkin's career whenever it was possible, as well as the career of Belarusian hockey player Aliaksei Protas, who is Alexander Ovechkin’s teammate. According to the President, Aliaksei Protas has assisted Ovechkin on many occasions on the ice and was “rooting for him to break the record”.