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Also see: Vladimir Putin; Anastasia Vashukevich; Ukraine; Alexander Lukashenko; Oleg Deripaska;
Jump to: 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020;
Undated: Undated: Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe[7] bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and most populous city is Minsk. Over 40% of its 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested. Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing.[8] Until the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus...
In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for greater cooperation, forming the Union State. Over 70% of Belarus's population of 9.49 million resides in urban areas. More than 80% of the population is ethnic Belarusian, with sizable minorities of Russians, Poles and Ukrainians. Since a referendum in 1995, the country has had two official languages: Belarusian and Russian. The Constitution of Belarus does not declare any official religion, although the primary religion in the country is Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The second-most widespread religion, Roman Catholicism, has a much smaller following; nevertheless, Belarus celebrates both Orthodox and Catholic versions of Christmas and Easter as national holidays.[24] Belarus is a member of the United Nations since its founding, the Commonwealth of Independent States, CSTO, EEU, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Belarus has shown no aspirations for joining the European Union but nevertheless maintains a bilateral relationship with the organisation, and likewise participates in two EU projects: the Eastern Partnership and the Baku Initiative.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus
-- 2016 --
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April 10: On 9 November Belarusian president Aliaksandr Lukashenka congratulated Trump on his victory. Lukashenka highlighted that Americans voted for a responsible, fair candidate who will bring change, saying: “You shook up American society and returned it to real democracy." The Belarusian leader expressed hopes that relations between Belarus and the US would continue on the path of normalisation.
At the same time, Lukashenka warned Russians against rejoicing too much over Trump's victory. "He is not a gift for Russia. Trump wants to make America great, but where does that put Russia?", he said. Interestingly, Lukashenka predicted Trump's victory earlier in September. "American society is not yet ready to elect a female president, even one as experienced as Hillary", he argued.
https://udf.by/english/main-story/148720-what-does-trumps-presidency-mean-for-belarus.html
-- 2017 --
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August 20: An escort service worker from Belarus who claimed to have information linking Russian interference to the election of President Donald Trump says she no longer has the evidence and will not talk about it. Anastasia Vashukevich on Monday pleaded innocent as her trial in Thailand began on charges of soliciting and conspiracy to solicit. She and self-styled sex guru Alexander Kirillov and six others were arrested at a sex training seminar in the resort city of Pattaya in February.
Ms. Vashukevich said Monday that she had turned over audio recordings to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, whose conversations about election interference she claimed to have taped. She told The Associated Press that she had promised Mr. Deripaska, who is close to President Vladimir Putin, she would no longer speak on the matter.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/rajiv-gandhi-birth-anniversary-cincinatti-open-and-other-news-in-pictures/article24735113.ece
August 25: Russian Actions in Belaruse Are Cause for Concern
https://www.heritage.org/europe/commentary/russian-actions-belarus-are-cause-concern
August 27: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump would gain more for the United States if he gave up his sharp language.
https://sputniknews.com/us/201808271067493674-lukashenko-trump-belarus-advice/
September 18: Russian Navy holds large-scale military exercise in Belarus
https://globalnews.ca/video/3752375/russian-navy-holds-large-scale-military-exercise-in-belarus
-- 2018 --
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May 30:
September 23: "Fort Trump" vs "Fort Putin"
During his visit to Washington, Polish President Andrzej Duda suggested that the US established a permanent military base in Poland, enabling to deploy a mechanized / tank division. The Polish leadership is ready to allocate up to USD 2 billion for this project.
The prospects for an American military base in Poland have raised concerns about the possible expansion of the Russian military presence in Belarus, in response. Such fearmongering seems premature and unreasonable.
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Establishing a permanent military US presence in Poland is not a quick process, and given the state of the US ground forces, it is by no means a fact that the US would find a division to deploy in Poland. Equally, Warsaw's arguments must be sufficiently convincing for the US to decide to send additional troops to Poland.
https://belarusinfocus.info/security-issues/fort-trump-vs-fort-putin
December 13: In Belarus' energy rage against Vladimir Putin, America's opportunity
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/in-belarus-energy-rage-against-vladimir-putin-americas-opportunity
December 25: Belarus Considers “Fort Trump” in Poland as a Military Threat
Belarus sees the US base deployment in Poland as a source of military threat to the country, the country’s defense minister Andrei Rawkow said in an interview.
Poland proposed that the United States host a permanent armored division, assuming the expenses – about $1.5-2 dollars. The proposal was presented bilaterally outside the NATO structure. Polish President Andrzej Duda even suggested calling this base Fort Trump.
https://www.fort-russ.com/2018/12/belarus-considers-fort-trump-in-poland-as-a-military-threat/
-- 2019 --
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January 4: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Thursday did a deep dive into where President Donald Trump may get some of his conspiracy theories.
The host of “The Rachel Maddow Show” pointed out that several of Trump’s foreign policy talking points since taking office have appeared to directly parrot propaganda and fake news originally put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rachel-maddow-donald-trump-conspiracy-theories-russia_n_5c2f1c1ae4b08aaf7a980eef
January 8: Putin’s Retirement Plan Depends on Belarus
To retain power, he is positioning himself as the leader of a closer union between Russia and its dependent neighbor.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-01-08/putin-is-seeking-to-retain-power-through-a-union-with-belarus
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January 10: A Diplomatic Breakthrough for Washington in Europe’s Last Dictatorship
Belarus lifts a cap on the number of U.S. diplomats allowed in the country as Minsk looks west and spars with Moscow.
The announcement came after months of increased engagement with Belarus by the Trump administration. It also comes amid a political clash between President Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’s longtime strongman, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Minsk is highly dependent on Russian energy subsidies, which form the cornerstone of the Belarusian economy. But recently the two countries have been locked in a bitter dispute over Russia’s plan to hike the price of oil exports in a move that could cost the Belarusian government billions of dollars in lost revenue.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/01/10/diplomatic-breakthrough-for-washington-in-europes-last-dictatorship-belarus-warming-relations-with-west-united-states-lukashenko-putin-russia-dispute-diplomacy-state-department-eastern-europe/
January 17: Belarusian model who claimed Trump secrets detained in Moscow
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-russia-detention/belarusian-model-who-claimed-trump-secrets-detained-in-moscow-ifax-idUSKCN1PB2IC
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January 22: A Belarusian escort who claimed she had proof of Russian collusion with Donald Trump's election campaign was freed from a Russian jail on Tuesday following her arrest last week, lawyers said.
Anastasia Vashukevich, also known as Nastya Rybka, was arrested alongside Alexander Kirillov, a self-styled sex guru, when the two arrived at Moscow's main airport following their deportation from Thailand ....
Vashukevich was under arrest in Russia as a suspect in a probe into "coercion into prostitution" though the details of the case and her specific involvement have not been made clear.
She was deported from Thailand after pleading guilty to participating in a "sex training course".
Vashukevich became famous after posting videos allegedly showing tycoon Oleg Deripaska and an influential Russian deputy prime minister on a yacht.
Belarusian officials on Tuesday issued their first comments about her detention, with ... a spokeswoman for President Alexander Lukashenko, telling media that the Belarusian leader "has given orders to immediately work on the release of the citizen of Belarus."
https://news.yahoo.com/belarus-escort-claimed-trump-secrets-freed-russian-jail-141752640.html
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February 6: Will Belarus’ IT Strategy Loosen Russia’s Tightening Grip?
https://theglobepost.com/2019/02/06/belarus-russia-it/
February 16: The president of Belarus has said the country is ready to unite with long-time ally Russia, raising the prospect of Moscow absorbing the eastern European dictatorship on the borders of Poland and Lithuania.
President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet state since the presidential post was created in 1994, said Friday his nation was ready to join with Russia, The Moscow Times reported.
Lukashenko made the comments on the third and final day of bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rumors have long abounded that Belarus could be absorbed into Russia under Putin’s watch, deepening the “union state” arrangement that has existed between them since the late 1990s.
“The two of us could unite tomorrow, no problem,” Lukashenko said Friday. “But are you—Russians and Belarusians—ready for it?” the president added, according to Interfax. “We’re ready to unite and consolidate our efforts, states and peoples as far as we’re ready.”
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-belarus-unite-absorb-union-vladimir-putin-alexander-lukashenko-1333800
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February 22: Russia and Belarus will have to consider a joint response if the United States deploys new intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday, the Belta news agency reported.
He said such a move would be necessary if Washington moved to deploy new missiles following its withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-02-22/belarus-to-consider-joint-response-with-russia-if-us-deploys-new-missiles-belta
April 5: More than 1,000 bodies were discovered in a mass grave found at the site of a World War II-era Jewish ghetto in Belarus, ABC News reported Thursday.
According to the outlet, a group of construction workers first uncovered the grave in February, shortly after they began preparing to build a new luxury apartment building on the site in Brest, which borders Poland.
The grave reportedly contained the remains of 1,214 bodies. ABC News noted that an estimated 16,000 Jews, many of whom were from Brest, were killed by Nazi soldiers northwest of the city during the Holocaust. Nazis killed many more in the Jewish ghetto, the outlet reported.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/437626-over-1000-bodies-discovered-in-nazi-era-mass-grave-found-in
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April 24: Belarus has suspended the export of light oil products to Ukraine and several other of its neighbors, in a move that could affect fuel prices in these countries.
Minsk halted the exports due to the low quality of the oil supplied by Russia, Sergei Grib, deputy general director of the Belarusian Oil Company, said on April 23 at a conference in Minsk, according to the BelTA news agency.
The news came as a surprise to Ukraine, where Belarusian light oil products make up around a third of the fuel market. Minsk has also suspended exports to Poland and the Baltic countries.
https://www.kyivpost.com/business/belarus-suspends-exports-of-light-oil-products-to-ukraine.html
April 26: Russia Meets Ukraine, Belarus, Poland To Discuss Tainted Oil
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Russia-Meets-Ukraine-Belarus-Poland-To-Discuss-Tainted-Oil.html
-- 2020 --
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