control and will, like the zelensky government in ukraine, look westward to membership of the eu, maybe of nato? what is your vision for belarus? first of all, we have to return democracy in our country and then ask people, what do you want? because before the war started, there were polls where people responded that about 60% of people wanted a good relationship with russia, and the same 60% wanted good relationship with the european union. we are really peaceful people. but the new generation is, of course, pro democratic, the new generation know how we can live if we have a normal government. if we have normal management, our people wouldn t live in poverty in our country. but you said to me at the very beginning of this interview that putin s invasion
by his people. he s not recognised by international society. he s not recognised by democratic leaders. and so i want to ask the same question, why are political prisoners still in prisons? there is strong actions the democratic world could do in response to the crimes that lukashenko and his cronies did. so when we were going from country to country asking to impose tough and joint sanctions against the regime, we got words of support, words of condemnation of this regime, but not real actions. only after hijacking of ryanair flight, strong sanctions have been imposed, but even they left so many loopholes in those sanctions that lukashenko could easily avoid them.
the people of belarus want to be brothers and sisters with the people of today s russia, and that that bond cannot be broken. are you saying he s wrong? look, of course we want to be brothers and sisters with russians. we want to be brothers and sisters with ukrainians, but we don t want to be dragged into past, into the times of soviet union in the past, in the era of influences. we want to be an independent country with our own culture, with our own language, where people are going where they want and they re not ruled by the third country. this is about people, it s about independence. but it s also about practical decisions. so for you, as, you know, leader, figurehead leader of the anti lukashenko opposition, are you saying to me you could imagine a future where belarus is in nato, inside the eu, or not?
so when we were going from country to country asking to impose tough and joint sanctions against the regime, we got words of support, words of condemnation of this regime, but not real actions. only after hijacking of ryanair flight, strong sanctions have been imposed, but even they left so many loopholes in those sanctions that lukashenko could easily avoid them. after a hybrid attack with the help of migrants that lukashenko did in august, he didn t pay at all for this crime. you know, no powerful sanctions. nothing happened. of course he feels impunity. of course he understands that he can do everything. people are repressed in belarus. people are scared because every moment kgb people can enter your
which side of it you will be on? yes. and isn t it quite plain that putin will use all military means necessary in belarus to ensure you are on his side of the curtain? of course, it could be his intention, but we always forget about people. country is notjust government, and it s notjust army, it s about people. and if people don t want to be on that side of the iron curtain, they will fight for it. and it will be a region of constant instability, of constant rallies, of constant uprising. will it really, though? because, again, you know better than me that putin s message in some of his speeches, some of his writings over the last few years has been all about the degree of historical, cultural, economic, and political ties between the slavic peoples of ukraine, belarus and russia. his message is that, actually,