Lukashenko must be persuaded that he cannot be president, US OSCE envoy says

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko should be convinced that he cannot be the country's president in the current circumstances, US Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) James Gilmor said in an interview with Foreign Policy magazine.

"What we have [to do] right now is to try to persuade Lukashenko that he cannot be the president of a country under these circumstances. He thinks that a fraudulent election followed by brutal suppression of the people is good enough," Gilmore said.

Gilmore said he remains "deeply concerned" about the prospect of Russian intervention in Belarus "to back the country’s embattled authoritarian leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is clinging to power after claiming victory last month in an election widely seen as a sham".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that following the US’ example, the EU treads further and further along the path of sanctions pressure in international affairs, which is illegitimate from the standpoint of the international law. The Russian Foreign Minister noted the statements made towards the situation in Belarus by the NATO Secretary General, the EU representatives, the Western leaders who preside over the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).