Belarus leader Lukashenko: West prepared to 'abandon' Zelensky
(Baonghean.vn) - Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko announced at a government meeting on September 22 that Washington had allowed its partners to "remove" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky because he had become a nuisance.
Lukashenko pointed to the ongoing grain dispute between Poland and Ukraine as an example of the new policy, noting that Warsaw was once one of Zelensky's staunchest supporters but is now harshly critical of its partner.
The change of heart came after Poland, Hungary and Slovakia unilaterally banned imports of Ukrainian grain despite the EU opting to lift the bloc-wide embargo. In return, Kiev filed a complaint against the three countries at the World Trade Organization (WTO). “Do you think that today Poland is putting pressure on poor Ukraine for no reason? No, they have foreign permission: We need to get rid of Zelensky, we are tired of him,” Lukashenko said.
The Belarusian leader noted that the US presidential election is coming up and said that no one will be interested in Zelensky at that time. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden on Friday stressed that Washington will stick with Zelensky throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict and announced that US-made Abrams tanks will begin arriving in Ukraine next week. Meanwhile, President Zelensky, who is on his second wartime visit to Washington, said that Kiev's current fight against Russia relies on long-term US military support and stressed that without aid, they "will lose the war."
The Biden administration has so far spent $115 billion in military and financial aid on Kiev, recently requesting approval for an additional $24 billion by the end of this month. However, a growing number of lawmakers, mostly Republicans, have begun to oppose the policy of funding the Zelensky administration with American taxpayer money. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri said the United States should stop pouring money into Ukraine, especially when Kiev “has nothing to show for it.” He was apparently referring to Kiev’s much-hyped summer offensive that failed to yield any significant territorial gains. Senator Hawley stressed that the United States should not spend “another penny on Ukraine” but instead conduct an audit of the billions of dollars that have been spent. The senator also suggested that Germany and other European allies “step in” to support Kiev./.
