Opinion - Talks with Prigozhin showed authority of Belarus' president

MINSK, 26 June (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has once again shown that he is a person who can take action when necessary, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, member of the House of Representatives Oleg Gaidukevich told the STV TV channel, BelTA informs.

“I am convinced that every Belarusian was following the events in the Russian Federation with concern. Destabilization of Russia means destabilization of the entire region. Belarus is a member of the Union State, and this concerns us directly. Therefore, the conflict and the situation with the private military company Wagner worried us very much. Enemies of Belarus and Russia on the other side of the border were watching the developments with hope. The fifth column of Belarus posted a lot of addresses yesterday hoping that as soon as Russia destabilizes, they will have a chance in Belarus,” said Oleg Gaidukevich.

According to him, on 24 June we saw the authority of our president. “He is a person who enjoys unconditional support not only in Belarus, but in Russia, and, I am sure, in the entire post-Soviet space, and in the world,” he stated. “Aleksandr Lukashenko has once again shown that he is a person capable of taking action whenever it is needed. Yesterday I felt great pride for our president. Right now we can say that his efforts in coordination with the president of Russia helped prevent tragic events.”

As previously reported, Aleksandr Lukashenko held negotiations with Wagner's boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. The negotiations lasted for the entire day. As a result, the sides agreed that it is unacceptable to start a bloodbath in Russia's territory. Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted Aleksandr Lukashenko's proposal on stopping the advance of Wagner's armed units in Russia's territory and on further steps to de-escalate tensions.