Stanislau Shushkevich: Russia does not trust Lukashenka, because he is swindler

Russia struggles against goods smuggling from Belarus.

Russia phytosanitary control agency Rosselkhoznadzor asked Minsk yesterday to cancel all permissions on transiting goods through Belarus if they are meant for Kazakhstan and other countries through Russia. The first head of independent Belarus, Stanislau Shushkevich, said to NSN information agency that Moscow had to do it due to Aliaksandr Lukashenka's swindling.

“I don't know particular facts of sanctions violations, but I know for sure that our head of state has always used fraudulent approaches,” he said. “So, Russia comes to senses from time to time and acts in its own interests.”

“Of course, there can be attempts to earn on the sanctions. Many things are made in accordance with political beliefs, while economic interests are being ignored. It repeats time after time,” Stanislau Shushkevich thinks.

“Lukashenka pretends he can act on his own because Russia doesn't control him strictly. But he also swindles, just like in times when he headed a kolkhoz. Pro-governmental businessmen cheat, too. It is very profitable. Russia forgives it because he holds a pro-Russian position and says different things about Ukraine,” he thinks.

“In this situation, the president of Belarus acts like a character in bad stories about Roma. Russia has to control him, because he is a swindler,” Stanislau Shushkevich said.

It's interesting to note that Minsk guaranteed Moscow in August that it would not allow the reexport of banned EU products. Lukashenka said the issue of the EU products reexport “is not a problem at all”.