April 20, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka said that he does not consider himself a dictator in his interview with Moscow-controlled Russia Today last week.
The Belarusian ruler’s press office has been releasing excerpts over the past few days of his comments on international developments, Minsk’s engagement with Washington and US President Donald Trump.
Łukašenka claimed he does not concern himself with public approval in the same way as other global leaders. “I am not an emperor like US President Donald Trump or Russian President Vladimir Putin,” he said. “They can afford to worry about being loved. I don’t have the same opportunities they do. That’s why I remain calm about whether I’m liked, especially after so many years in power. I’m an experienced man. I’ve seen all the mud they throw at me — ‘dictator’ and so on — and I take it in my stride,” he noted.
Łukašenka also argued that he lacks the means to behave like a dictator, contrasting himself with the US. “Trump has them, those resources. And he dictates: in Venezuela, in Cuba. . . he tries to dictate in Iran, to China, well, to dictate something to all countries.”
Dictatorships always lead to setbacks similar to those that happened to the US with Iran, the politician noted. “If you’re a dictator, you have to be cautious. You have to use your brain more often and keep your head on your shoulders,” he added.
