In post-Soviet jargon, Belarus is what Russia's “big brother” calls “near abroad”. Clearly, do not touch! Since the beginning of the crisis in this ex-Republic of the USSR, Moscow has regularly come out of its clutches to warn against "any attempt at foreign interference". Message received five out of five by Europeans who solemnly appeal to the Russian President to put pressure on Alexander Lukashenko.
While the EU is holding an extraordinary summit on Wednesday on the crisis that has shaken the country for ten days - with the possibility of extending the sanctions decided on last week - its leaders spent the day of Tuesday sparing the susceptibilities of Vladimir Putin, particularly ticklish on the matter.
Europe intends to play a "constructive role"
Charles Michel, the head of European diplomacy, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron took turns in the handset to plead the cause of the dialogue. The Frenchman thus urged his counterpart to "promote appeasement" in Belarus, and to get closer to the opposition which calls for the departure of the 65-year-old autocrat, re-elected on August 9 to a 6th term under conditions more than suspicious (80% of votes). The French Head of State particularly insisted on the "constructive role" that Europe intends to play "so that violence against the population ceases immediately and that a political solution can be found as quickly as possible," while respecting the aspirations expressed peacefully and massively for several days ”.
Faced with this diplomatic assault, Putin said he hoped for a "rapid normalization of the situation". It remains to be seen whether in his eyes, this “normalization” involves the end of the demonstrations (even if they are brutally repressed by the authorities) or the departure of this neighbor so unpopular that it becomes cumbersome.
But then, the opposition, embodied by Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, a refugee in Lithuania, will have to give pledges to the Kremlin, which considers Belarus as a strategic buffer zone vis-à-vis NATO. In this affair, Putin remains in control. Lukashenko understood this well by assuring Saturday that his Moscow ally had guaranteed him the security "aid" he was asking for. By putting pressure on Moscow in turn, will the Europeans be heard?