Belarus: Putin "convinced" that Lukashenko will overcome the crisis
Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin in Sochi, September 14, 2020. Russian Presidential Press Service via AP
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Contested in the street since August, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday, his main supporter who said he was "convinced" that he would overcome the crisis, without publicly advancing on stronger support .
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For his first trip abroad since his contested re-election, Alexander Lukashenko reunited with Vladimir Poutin in Sochi.
During a tête-à-tête lasting more than four hours, the Belarusian president confirmed to his Russian counterpart "
his intention to make changes to the Constitution
", according to the Kremlin.
This project, supported by Moscow but whose outlines remain vague, is the only compromise evoked by Minsk to get out of the deep political crisis that Belarus has been going through for more than a month.
Alexandre Loukachenko had said at the end of August that "
specialists
" were working on this reform, which will then be submitted "
to the referendum
", suggesting that it could possibly lead to new elections.
On Sunday again, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Minsk for the fifth consecutive weekend to demand the departure of the head of state, 66 years old, 26 of whom are in power.
The mobilization did not seem to weaken despite the arrest or exile of the main opponents.
At the start of the meeting in Sochi, Vladimir Poutine said he was "
convinced
" that with "
the experience of political work
" of Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus "will
reach new frontiers
".
However, he did not speak in favor of more support.
Alexandre Loukachenko, who spoke more than his host, thanked his counterpart "
personally
" and "
all the Russians
" for their support.
If he accused Russia before the ballot of wanting to “destabilize” his country, Alexander Lukashenko has since made a 180-degree turn to obtain Russian support in the face of massive protests, which he says are part of a Western plot.
$ 1.5 billion loan
During this discussion, where bilateral relations, economic cooperation, as well as military and energy issues were also discussed, Vladimir Putin also confirmed a loan of one and a half billion dollars granted to Belarus, whose recurring economic difficulties were amplified by the coronavirus crisis.
Such assistance would allow the Kremlin to recall the country's deep economic dependence on its “big brother”.
Especially since Western sanctions are being prepared because of the repressions.
But according to researcher Cyrille Bret, lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, if this money can allow the immediate improvement of the living conditions of the population, it will not succeed in appeasing the dispute.
"
It is indeed a political protest and not only social and economic which manifested itself," he
analyzes.
The discomfort, the dissatisfaction is much deeper
;
it is an aspiration for a change in governance.
It is not a cash injection from Russia that will be able to change the situation in the days to come.
"
During the last decade, the Lukashenko regime has tried to spare the goat and the cabbage, Vladimir Putin and the European Union.
Cyrille Bret
Heike schmidt
(
With
AFP)
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Belarus
Alexander Lukashenko
Vladimir Poutine
Russia