MINSK, 8 April (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the situation around the U.S. tariffs and the trade war this move entailed as he gave an interview with the Interstate TV and Radio Company Mir on 8 April, BelTA has learned.
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.
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.
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.”
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