Belarus remains Russia’s closest ally, does not lean towards West — Lukashenko

MINSK, April 29. /TASS/. Belarus has always been and remains Russia’s closest ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Wednesday.

Belarus has never tried to get closer to the West, Lukashenko stressed. "There are talks among Russian liberals, including in the Russian leadership, that Belarus has started leaning towards the West. Get this out of your minds, people and leadership of Russia. We have always been and will remain with Russia," he added.

"Let us have our own position and our own opinion," the Belarusian president said. "If I ran away after Crimea [joined Russia last year], would there be a negotiating platform [in Minsk]? Never," Lukashenko added.

"We have always been with Russia and will remain this way, and one should not talk about any kind of ‘leaning’," he stressed. "There are forces in Russia that want to limit the influence of the Belarusian model, Lukashenko on the processes in Russia," Lukashenko added. "We are a sovereign state. We are brothers with Russia, but we want to live in our own house," he noted.

"We will come to Moscow on May 8 and demonstrate that we are part of the ‘Russian world’," Lukashenko said.