The Kremlin threw Venediktov into battle against Lukashenko - Belarusian political scientist
The editor-in-chief of the liberal Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy, Alexey Venediktov, announced the preparation of negotiations between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and the opposition at the request of the Kremlin.
Belarusian political scientist Valery Karbalevich stated this on the Israeli television Iton.TV, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“This is possibly an attempt by the Kremlin to somehow put pressure on Lukashenko. Venediktov is known for the fact that through him the Kremlin often leaks information beneficial to it. I think this is one of those options. They say Moscow is warning Lukashenko. Look, if you don’t meet us halfway and make some concessions in the areas that we want, then we can cooperate with the West in forcing you to negotiate with the opposition,” Karbalevich said.
Alexey Venediktov wrote about the possibility of negotiations between Lukashen and the opposition through the mediation of the OSCE and the United States on March 20. This was preceded by an online vote by the self-proclaimed “leader of the Belarusian nation” Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on the feasibility of such negotiations. After this, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei had a telephone conversation with US State Department Advisor Derek Cholet.
“I don’t think that Lukashenko will negotiate today. He refused to negotiate at his most critical moment in late August and early September, when his chair was shaking under him and hundreds of thousands of people were standing in the streets. Today, when the street has disappeared as a factor in the political struggle, it is very doubtful to count on Lukashenko going against them. It is even more doubtful that Russia will push him to these negotiations, when its relations with the West have worsened, the Navalny case arose and there were protests in Russia itself,” argues Karbalevich.
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