The European Union, it seems, wasted its happiness - it did not work to tear Belarus away from Russia, closing the Russophobic belt from sea to sea. Minsk has suspended its participation in the Eastern Partnership initiative. The reason is the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the EU against Belarus, the republic's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Thus, Minsk fulfilled its threat voiced back in May. And the first step on this path was the lowering of the level of participation of the Republic of Belarus in the program to the expert level last fall. That is, almost none. Goodbye Europe.

You should clearly understand what this is about. The Eastern Partnership is a program for the development of EU integration ties with six former Soviet republics, initiated by Poland. The goal of the initiative, the Russian Foreign Ministry is sure, is to put these countries in front of an artificial dilemma: continue to develop together either with Europe or with Russia. According to Sergei Lavrov, we are talking about an attempt to separate the neighboring countries from Moscow. Participation in the partnership of Belarus, which is with us in the Union State, is a clear misunderstanding that has now been eliminated.

Leaving the Old World, Minsk prepared a surprise for him: it suspended the readmission agreement with the EU. According to this agreement, since 2020 Belarus has undertaken to take back migrants and criminals who entered Europe from its territory. After the 2015 crisis - an uncontrolled influx of millions of migrants - this is important for the EU. If withdrawal from the Eastern Partnership is a retreat, delimitation, then refusal to readmission is an attack on the EU by the forces of migrants. They say, since you are there, in Brussels, like that, now you are busy with them yourself.

The actual expulsion of the head of the EU Delegation in Minsk, Dirk Schuebel, also speaks of the seriousness of Minsk's intentions. He was offered to leave for Brussels in order to convey to his leadership the position of the Belarusian authorities on the unacceptability of pressure and sanctions. Here the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus did exactly the same as its Russian colleagues, who recently escorted the American Ambassador John Sullivan to their homeland to think about the behavior of the State Department. Minsk also recalled its ambassador to Brussels. The message is clear - Belarus has a cold diplomatic war with Europe.

The reaction to these events of the "fugitive cook" Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (the term of another Svetlana - Aleksievich, her rivals in the opposition field) is indicative. She rushes between the desire to demonstrate the “illegality” of the decision of the Belarusian authorities, whose legitimacy Tikhanovskaya disputes, and the efforts for the welfare of the Belarusian people, to whom the Eastern Partnership allegedly opens up wide opportunities, economic and political ties, and Lukashenka wants to deprive people of this. The conclusion is obvious: since Tikhanovskaya scolds, it means that Minsk's step is correct.

At the same time, the self-styled leader of the Belarusian opposition is trying to stake out the European vector of Belarus' foreign policy for himself.

My team, writes Tikhanovskaya, and all democratic forces will continue to work with European partners.

And she is even going to represent Belarus at the partnership summit this year.

They say that since Lukashenka refused, I am in charge.

“We are glad that Belarusians have such friends,” Tikhanovskaya thanks the EU.

The luscious sweetness of these confessions makes one recall the torn apart Ukraine ... Dreams of becoming a "Gauleiter" of Belarus do not leave the "cook".

Obviously, she is inspired by the position of political masters. The suspension of Belarus' participation in the Eastern Partnership will increase tensions and lead to negative consequences, the head of the European Council Charles Michel threatens. Brussels is serious. It is characteristic that, despite the freeze in economic cooperation with Belarus, various exchange programs and targeted educational programs for grant education of Belarusian youth in universities in the Baltic States and Poland have not been canceled. Europe wants to reformat their brains.

It should be understood that not only the Brussels bureaucracy, which sometimes has its own interests, but the entire West in solidarity is now playing against Lukashenka. “We, of course, will not ease the pressure until the situation in Belarus changes,” Angela Merkel promised. French Prime Minister Jean Casteks sings along with her, claiming that the Belarusian people "demand tougher sanctions." Washington, represented by its ambassador to Belarus, Julie Fisher, also promised not to reduce the sanctions pressure on Minsk. And what is this if not a political "drang nach osten"?

Of course, Lukashenka turned out to be a tough nut to crack and holds the punch well. Those who used to laugh at such a definition, including its enemies, are now forced to admit it. The President of Belarus urged to consider Western sanctions as an incentive for economic development. It is only necessary to carry out a comprehensive diversification of trade and economic activity ... However, with all the high art of political survival of the Belarusian leader alone, it will be difficult for him to resist the coordinated political and economic advance of the West. How to be?

The answer is obvious: we need an even closer, very close integration with Moscow, a natural ally of Minsk. And there it was already realized. The Belarusian authorities want to complete the plan for economic integration with Russia by January 1, 2022, it became known on the evening of June 28. According to the Ambassador of Belarus to Russia Vladimir Semashko, it is planned to create common markets for energy resources and transport, unify tax and customs legislation, as well as a transition to a unified industrial and agricultural policy.

But that's not all.

Today, June 29, for the first time in the past two years, the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev will arrive in Minsk.

Last week, speaking at the IX Moscow Conference on International Security, he bluntly stated that the West crossed the red lines in the case of Belarus.

This is how Patrushev outlined preparations for the overthrow of Lukashenka with the assistance of the American special services.

Moscow then helped Minsk to stop the threat.

Probably, Russia will now lend a shoulder to Old Man.

Economic and, most importantly, military-political integration will protect Belarus from pressure from the EU and the West.

The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.