In an interview with the Spanish publication 20 minutos, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed the primary focus of her Office’s work, Western support, and the steps needed to build a democratic Belarus.
Here are the key points from the conversation:
📌 “Sanctions must affect the state’s trade, not ordinary people. The dictator doesn’t deserve such gifts. Discrimination against Belarusians only fuels Lukashenka’s propaganda. He will claim that the West doesn’t want our people and they are not welcome there”.
📌 “Lukashenka manipulates the military because that’s how his regime operates. Believe me, he’ll let the Russian army through again if Moscow orders him to. He has no other choice. All he has left is Putin”.
📌 “The fact that the International Criminal Court has not charged Lukashenka yet demonstrates that international institutions are not functioning as they should. There is evidence that he is involved in crimes against humanity by displacing Ukrainian children. The West lacks determination in confronting the Lukashenka regime”.
📌 “We are fighting for survival and do not have the resources for major victories. Democratic countries must remember that aid for Belarus is not some kind of charity. It’s an investment in Europe’s security. Let’s hope they haven’t missed the timing for this investment”.
📌 “Some believe that if they pull Ukraine out of Russia’s grasp, they can leave Belarus as a prize for Putin. That’s why we are trying hard to prevent that. But time is running out. Lukashenka is gradually selling our independence to Russia, step by step”.
