A New Era for US and Belarus Relations: From Isolation to Potash Diplomacy |
Minsk, Belarus—During an interview with Cuban-American journalist of RT America (Russian Today/Россия Сегодня), Rick Sanchez, the Bismarckian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (Аляксандр Лукашэнка) has declared that Belarus is ready for a “grand deal” with the United States, but it must be prepared in such a way as to reflect the interests of both countries.
“We are ready for this meeting. We are ready for an agreement, but it must be prepared in such a way as to reflect the interests of the United States of America and Belarus.” President Lukashenko
“We are ready for this meeting. We are ready for an agreement, but it must be prepared in such a way as to reflect the interests of the United States of America and Belarus.”
These words of the Belarusian president have been particularly highlighted by the Belarusian Telegraph Agency BelTA (Беларускае тэлеграфнае агенцтва БЕЛТА) and its experts, perhaps as a signal of the state’s official course towards the Americans.
Meanwhile, this softened rhetoric and conciliatory tone from the Belarusian leader (known for his political character à la soviétique) is perhaps the most significant result of President Trump’s Ostpolitik. This strategy is very similar to that of the West German Chancellor Willy Brandt during the Cold War (1947-1991). It aims, instead of continuing Washington’s confrontational policy with Minsk, to apply a more flexible strategy that seeks to normalize relations between Belarus and the West through “Wandel durch Annäherung” on economic means. Thus, abandoning the doctrine of “harsh punitive sanctions,” historically unsuccessfully adopted by the Brussels elites of the European Union towards Minsk.
Hence, we can assume that the “grand deal” in itself represents an economic-diplomatic icebreaker of the Americans, as it could offer Belarusians a better deal than the Europeans and the Russians, one that could reshape the complex geopolitical realities in Central and Eastern Europe. But what exactly will this “grand deal” bring for Belarus and the United States?
Firstly, before trying to answer this question, let us begin with what has been achieved so far in the dialogue between President Trump’s administration and President Lukashenko’s........