Natallia Radzina: This Will Be The Strongest Blow To Lukashenka
- 26.07.2024, 22:42
The West has leverage over the Belarusian regime.
Editor-in-Chief of the Charter97.org website Natallia Radzina became a guest of the YouTube channel “UKRLIFE with Lyudmila Nemyra”. In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Lyudmila Nemyra, she spoke about an effective way to put pressure on the Lukashenka regime:
— Poland has begun actively checking cargo, which is slowing down transit through Belarus, which is causing great inconvenience to China. Let me remind you that Belarus is the only land corridor for Chinese goods to Europe. We know that these goods take a month or more to arrive by sea, and up to two weeks by rail. Polish border guards began to carefully check all rail cargo at the terminal in Małaszevicze.
Slowing down transit is a very inconvenient thing for China. Moreover, the Poles began to check the Kazlovichy border crossing, through which trucks pass, this is the only checkpoint on the border with Belarus through which road freight transport is carried out. We know that there are huge queues there.
This should not be done as a one-time action, but as a real sanction. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has already threatened that the transit of goods from Belarus could be closed. And this will be the strongest and, perhaps, the only lever of pressure on the Lukashenka regime.
Natallia Radzina emphasizes that the border should be closed specifically for the transit of goods, and not ordinary Belarusians:
— Problems at the border are huge inconveniences for China, Russia, and the Belarusian authorities. This seriously affects the Lukashenka regime. After all, the income from transit goes to the budget. Not to mention the fact that the channel for bypassing sanctions is blocked. If Lithuania, Poland and Latvia closed the border for transit of goods from Belarus, this would have a very serious impact on the Lukashenka regime.
I would like to point out that under no circumstances should border crossings be closed for ordinary people. Belarusians should retain the opportunity to travel to the West. Sanctions should not hit ordinary people, but the dictatorship itself.
A Belarusian journalist notes an important point in how sanctions should be imposed against the Lukashenka regime:
— This may seem absurd, but economic sanctions have not been imposed against the dictator for political prisoners. Sanctions were imposed after the landing of a Ryanair plane with a blogger on board, for migrant attacks on the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia and for participation in the war against Ukraine.
This is a very important point. If we want to get the dictator to release political prisoners from prison, we need to introduce tough measures. But if Lukashenka is not punished for repression, how will he release these people?
Natallia Radzina believes that it is necessary to talk to Beijing:
— The West can explain to China that the transport corridor can be closed if there is no pressure on Lukashenka to release people from prisons.
Incidentally, this way Belarus can be withdrawn from the war against Ukraine. Russian troops can leave there if China demands this from Putin. All that is needed is the political will of the West and the willingness to sacrifice economic interests. After all, the lives of people in Ukraine and Belarus are at stake.