Key Russian ally trolls EU

The Belarusian leader claims he won’t let Europe freeze this winter

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been filmed chopping wood, which he promised to send to the EU amid the looming energy crisis. The video was shared on social media on Wednesday.

“Let’s not let Europe freeze. Let’s help our brothers, maybe they’ll help us some day, too,” Lukashenko said in a clip published by a Telegram channel linked to his press service.

“That’s some good firewood,” he noted while chopping a large fir log with an ax.

In the current situation, Europe can’t be picky about the type of wood used for heating, as “the main thing for them is to get warm somehow,” Lukashenko said. “We must make sure that farmers and workers receive it, but not the rich people.”

It’s also important that Polish President Andrzej Duda and PM Mateusz Morawiecki “don’t freeze” this winter, he added. “They are our neighbors. Maybe they’ll come to their senses.”

Polish government leaders have been harsh critics of Lukashenko. Warsaw supported the anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020 and 2021.

Moscow, along with Minsk, a close ally, were slapped with harsh Western sanctions after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in late February.

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These restrictions have largely backfired, causing a major drop in Russian oil and gas supplies to Europe and putting the EU on the brink of an energy crisis. People in Austria, the Czech Republic, and other countries have taken to the streets in recent weeks, demanding that their leaders bring the soaring energy prices down and find a way to heat their homes this winter.