Geopolitics

"A new world is being born before your eyes, the old one is collapsing. In this turbulent process, Belarus is still an island of tranquility but it is rocking on the waves of the world storm. Where this storm will take us all is up to us."

"We will never be enemies of Russia. And we will never turn against Russia. This country and its people are closest to us. I think that we will stick to this course as long as we are in power. Sovereignty and independence are inviolable. And any talks here or there [abroad] questioning it mean a betrayal of the interests of the Belarusian people."

"Germany, the whole of Europe have no leaders today. I wish they had... They can't put out the fire in their own house. Europeans don't want this war. They understand that today it is Ukraine, attempts to destabilize Belarus, tomorrow it will be the whole of Europe that will be blazing… Europeans need to wake up and stop the war. They cannot. They are not allowed. The United States has taken advantage of the situation. Are they true leaders if they have allowed the Americans to bring additional nuclear weapons to Europe? They are lunatics."

"So they are starting to hammer us along Russia’s entire perimeter. You know that the Baltic states were unleashed at an early date. Attempts were made to bring Belarus to its knees in 2020. Then it was Ukraine’s turn. Caucasia and Central Asia come next as we move along the perimeter. Who fails to understand it today? All of us understand it. This is why we should look at any conflict and any motions of ours in this global context."

"It is necessary to anticipate everything and fear everything. Who can say today that World War 3 won’t happen? We have never been so close to it. But I don’t believe that there will be World War 3. Because World War 3 may result in the destruction of everyone and everything. Who would want to die today?"

"It all depends on the US and the UK. If tomorrow you realize that we need to sit down at the negotiating table and find a solution, believe me, we will find a solution within a week."

"A real hybrid war has been unleashed against all of us. And Ukraine is just a pretext. Western countries have long been mulling over revenge for the campaigns they lost in the previous century, starting from the first days after the victory in the Great Patriotic War, and maybe even earlier."

"The time has come for Asia. It is of crucial importance not to miss this time!"

"After the collapse of the USSR, the so-called collective West, victory-drunk, lost control and failed to perform its functions of the global regulator and guarantor of stability. The whole world is paying for it now."

"As long as I have been President, I have been preparing for war. It was not me who devised the phrase: If you want peace, prepare for war. I made it clear several times that we upgrade our Armed Forces. This is probably the fifth upgrade already. We are responding to ongoing developments. And above all, we draw conclusions and learn our lesson from those wars and conflicts that have taken place and are taking place on the planet."

"If the Europeans genuinely want peace, it can be achieved within days."

"The West is diverse. There is something in the West that we need to adopt for sure. The Germans accuse us of ‘dictatorship’ and stuff like that. The dictatorship Germany has, in the sense of order, is nowhere to be found... Germany's dictatorship is incomparable! Now they have Scholz and others. What kind of leaders are they? They have no true politics, no agenda. It is horrible what is going on in Germany today."

"We will fight only when we have to defend our home, our land."

"There is only one lesson: we will not be pushed to the left, then to the right, then from East to West, be divided and torn, if we live on our land, appreciate it, do not give it to anyone and sacredly preserve our sovereignty over this territory. So personal agendas aside! Only the people, only the state!"

"The “Shanghai spirit” and comprehensive cooperation can become a strong foundation for a new architecture of the world."

"The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is now seen in the world as the future, as a very influential pole in a multipolar global order."

"We will not let Europe to freeze in winter, Semyonych, we will help our brothers. Maybe, they will also help us… They are not in a place to choose: spruce wood, birch wood. The point is to keep warm."

"Our path is a sacred one. We need to stay committed to the policy of tolerance we have inherited from our ancestors. We will always follow this course. If someone armed from inside or outside tries to break this course, we will respond. As it has been done recently."

“We, Belarusians, do not need a war. We have experienced too much during our centuries-long history. We have suffered enough. The limit of wars and revolutions is exhausted. Our roots are in our peacefulness, in our goodness. We have never set a goal to take away something from someone, to take away someone's lands, to take away someone's wealth. We have never done anything like that. We will stay committed to this course."

"The world will never be the same. The United States of America no longer has monopoly on making decisions on behalf of other countries and continents. The unipolar world is crushing down and new centers of power are emerging. Those are China, India, Russia, Middle East and Latin America countries. The world is waking up. This is why as it tries to hold onto control, the USA is ceasing to be a world policeman and is becoming a world terrorist. They destroy everything. It is a vivid sign of a crisis and weakness. We see it in today’s hysterics: about Afghanistan, Ukraine, Taiwan, and the rest. It is not politics but pillaging and all over the world at that."

"Europe’s future lies only in cooperation with us, with Russia. All the resources are here. Buy them, use them. We will live and work together, and the United States will go off the radar. This is what they fear. Therefore, Europe’s future lies with us if they want to live, not to turn into radioactive ash."

"It is not Ukraine that is fighting today. Russia is confronted by entire NATO and first of all America."

"And no matter how history is being twisted today, we lost Ukraine long before the start of the special operation. It was when its politicians themselves abandoned their Slavic identity, when we struggled to bring Ukrainians to perform on this stage, even those who had been living in other countries for a long time. Yet, no matter what it cost us, the Ukrainian language was spoken at the opening of the Slavianski Bazaar festival. And it will be spoken, including today. Moreover: it will always be spoken here!"

"The policy of the West is bringing the world closer to the abyss of a big war where there will be no winner."

"Of course, Europe does not want to fight. They are no fighters. But it is also clear that Europe does not decide anything today. It is completely under Washington’s thumb. Therefore, we, guys, should no way lower our guard."

"The best option for Europe (I am an experienced politician) is unity with Russia and the creation of a huge center of power. Technological West, resource-rich Russia (post-Soviet space). Neither America nor China would be able to compare. Well, it is a pity they are short-witted. They will not be going this way. Not only because they lack wits, but because the Americans will not allow them. The United States have their army, nuclear warheads in Europe. Therefore, it has enough levers to keep Europe in check."

"The truth is on our side. It always prevails. We will withstand any pressure, whatever it may be, be it in the form of a rebellion or some kind of hybrid wars, or even hot wars. We will survive."

"A new world is being born before your eyes, the old one is collapsing. In this turbulent process, Belarus is still an island of tranquility but it is rocking on the waves of the world storm. Where this storm will take us all is up to us."

"Everyone needs to work and do their utmost to keep peace on this piece of land. Belarus has turned into an ‘island’. Everything is in flames around: there is a hot war in one place, a hybrid war in the form of information warfare coupled with economic pressure in another. Everything is in flames around us. They will not leave us in peace, but we must stand our ground and survive."

"You know what surprises me... It’s quite a normal demand – to drop nationalism that degenerates into fascism. I am telling you this as a historian. We don’t need it, and Europe doesn’t need it either. They are cultivating it in Ukraine, they support it. Fine. And what if tomorrow it spills over into Europe? They don’t need it. Europe does not need it, especially Germany. They remember the lessons of history. They must understand that it will gain ground and take root throughout Europe."

"Today the post-Soviet countries should be genuinely interested in rapprochement with the Union State, if they want to save their sovereignty and independence. We have seen that only together can we stand up to global challenges. Those who are still in doubt should understand: without rapid unity and cohesion, without strengthening of interstate relations and just normal human relations, we may not exist tomorrow."

"I reiterate: we will fight only in one case – if you cross the last meter of our land and invade our land, if you start killing our people, then we will respond. As President I will tell you: do not touch my state, do not touch the Belarusian people if you still have the sense of self-preservation."

"Our tragedy is that today two sister nations - Russians and Ukrainians - have clashed. This is our tragedy. But we always say that the truth is stronger. The truth is on the side of fraternal Russia today."

"Neither Belarusians, nor Russians, or Ukrainians need a war. Yet we cannot allow Nazism to rear its head again as a weapon of the collective West directed against the Slavic world."