Why sanctions against the regime require a new approach, why it’s important to support Belarusians, why Belsat TV must be preserved, and what consequences the West might face if it excludes Belarus from the agenda – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed all this in an interview with the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita.
📌 “Democratic countries must remember that aid for Belarus is not some kind of charity. It’s an investment in European security because Belarus has strategic importance. Let’s hope they haven’t missed the timing for this investment”.
📌 “People inside Belarus are not giving up. All the information about how the regime circumvents sanctions, its financial schemes, and details about nuclear weapons – we receive this from the regime insiders. They are our supporters”.
📌 “Sanctions must affect the regime’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”.
📌 “We must continue to fight. We have no moral right to say, ‘Sorry, it didn’t work out’. Neither do our partners. How will Western politicians look each other in the eye after abandoning the fight against Lukashenka?”
📌 “We’re not only focusing on building institutions in exile. We had to make sure that Belarusians both in exile and in the country receive appropriate support. Now there are many initiatives, each one focusing on specific problems”.
📌 “Belsat is a unique project. It’s the only Belarusian-language channel, an outstanding project launched by Poland. We are fighting against the massive propaganda machines of Lukashenka and Putin. We need to strengthen this fight, not weaken it. I am trying to explain this to our partners”.
