Trump underestimates Lukashenko?

11/20/20251 min read

According to the Financial Times, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (living in exile in Lithuania) has said that while President Trumps humanitarian efforts to free political prisoners is admirable, he shouldn't be fooled; President Lukashenko will not abandon Russia. According to Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko was "paying his debts" to Putin for his intervention in Belarus' 2020 election, helping Lukashenko crush the mass demonstrations over election rigging. According to human rights groups, 1,200 political prisoners remain in Belarusian jails and arrests continue. (https://www.ft.com/content/e87cd013-cc4b-447b-8dd1-b68c99f00a35)