Kathrine Frich
Relations between Belarus and the United States have been strained for years.
Under Donald Trump’s second term, Washington’s foreign policy has again been drawing attention far beyond U.S. borders.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko recently delivered a blunt message suggesting Minsk has long watched U.S. actions with suspicion.
Criticism of Washington
Lukashenko directed his strongest remarks at U.S. actions involving Greenland, Canada and Venezuela.
“He glanced north, Greenland. Bring it here! Even Canada should be the 51st state. Venezuela. they’ve caught the president. What cartel? What drugs? Oil!” Lukashenko thundered.
Referring to past tensions with Washington, he added: “Now we understand where they were taking us.”
Isolation theme
The Belarusian president linked his criticism to Minsk’s own diplomatic position.
He reminded audiences that Belarus “has no friends” in the world, underlining what he portrayed as the country’s political isolation.
His comments framed U.S. moves abroad as part of a broader pattern that smaller states, including Belarus, must take into account.
Broader backdrop
In recent months, Donald Trump has repeated the claim that Canada “should become the 51st state of the United States.”
The statements have widely been interpreted as political and trade pressure rather than a concrete plan to redraw borders.
Canadian authorities have consistently stressed that their sovereignty is not in question.
The situation surrounding Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has also intensified.
U.S. authorities detained him in his own country and transported him to New York.
Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has meanwhile become the focus of diplomatic friction between the United States and European partners after the U.S. president expressed interest in the island.
NATO recently announced the Arctic Sentry mission aimed at reinforcing security in the Arctic and High North.
Sources: Nexta, WP
