Donald Trump. Photo courtesy of AP
MINSK, 19 January (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his candor during a meeting with Governor of Russia’s Kirov Oblast Alexander Sokolov in Minsk on 19 January, BelTA has learned.
“Look, he says bluntly: ‘We need Venezuela for its oil. We need Greenland for defense and it also has got everything: rare earths, oil, natural gas.’ He says it directly. Diplomats find that unacceptable. And so do I. Maybe it’s better to keep quiet about oil and talk more about drug lords, fight them. But he states bluntly: he needs oil. ‘If you Europeans don’t buy our oil, you’re finished and so on.’ He just lays it all out,” the Belarusian leader pointed out.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that in the current international situation, Belarus and Russia need to stand together, focus on their own resources, and by no means become dependent on others. “There are very few friends around. And if there are any, there are certain problems. The Venezuelans were not our enemies. But… At such a distance now… We are considering how to help them without abandoning that country, because we cannot lose friends. And here, on our doorstep, we must find a way to more reliably defend our own space. We need to be more active here,” the president stated.
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