Lukashenko predicts problems for Europe after Trump's rise to power

After the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House, Europe, not Belarus, should expect problems. This was reported to journalists by the incumbent president of Belarus, candidate for the post, Alexander Lukashenko, on January 26.

"With the arrival of Trump, there will be problems not in Belarus, there will be problems in Europe. They have already started. <...> And you [in Europe] are like a snake, like a snake, twisting, twirling, do not know what to find a way out of this situation," said the head of state, his speech was broadcast by the TV channel "First Information.

He explained that he was referring to Trump's demand for European countries to increase their defense spending. Lukashenko shared that he agrees with the American leader in his attitude to the European Union (EU) states. In addition, the Belarusian president supports Trump's peacekeeping efforts related to his desire to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, but believes that it is not worth imposing sanctions against "the whole world."

Commenting on the resolution of the European Parliament (EP) of January 21, where the deputies said in advance that they would not recognize the results of the presidential election in Belarus, Lukashenko said he didn't care whether the results of the vote would be recognized in the West - it's much more important that the people of the republic were satisfied with them.

The President of Belarus said that journalists wanted to go to the closed border with Ukraine to film something. At the same time, the Ukrainian side of the border is "stuffed" with troops, while Minsk keeps only border guards on its territory.

In addition, the incumbent president said that anti-government actions in Slovakia and Serbia are coordinated from the United States, financed by foundations and embassies of this country. In Belarus and other states, according to him, millions of such attempts of influence have been recorded. Lukashenko is confident that Slovakia will cope with outside interference, and called the people of this country courageous people.

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Earlier, on January 23, Foreign Policy magazine reported that politicians in Europe consider themselves ready for Trump's second term, but this confidence has no basis - the region is focused on the wrong goals and distracted by political crises. The publication noted that the new US president is unlikely to succumb to flattery and bribes and cancel his plans to shift military commitments from Washington's shoulders to Europe.

On the same day, Trump said that he was not sure whether the United States should continue to finance NATO, because the country spends money and helps the alliance, but gets nothing in return, reports "Gazeta.Ru". At the same time, the American president demanded from the bloc's countries to raise defense spending from 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 5%.

Polling stations for the main voting in the presidential election in Belarus opened across the country earlier in the day at 8:00. They will work until 20:00. Observers, including observers from Western countries, are following the course of the people's will. In addition, the voting process is covered by representatives of 70 foreign media.

The candidates for the presidential election in Belarus are incumbent leader Alexander Lukashenko, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus Oleg Gaidukevich, MP Anna Kanopatskaya, leader of the Belarusian Communists Sergei Syrankov and leader of the Party of Labor and Justice Alexander Khizhnyak.