During a summit in Alaska, Donald Trump relied on communications with Alexander Lukashenko to interpret Vladimir Putin’s strategic thinking. Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, is widely viewed as a key ally of Putin, and Trump maintained contact throughout the meetings.
Trump used Lukashenko as a channel to understand Putin’s underlying motives. The former US President made a phone call to Lukashenko just before the summit. Also present were US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Prior to the meeting, Ukraine and European countries voiced concerns that Putin’s objective was simply to extend the timeframe. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin aimed to placate Trump’s anger by creating an illusion of dialogue to avert action.
Zelenskyy asserted that Putin did not seek peace, but instead aimed to capture territory through conflict. Consequently, Donald Trump was focused on determining whether Putin was indeed merely aiming to postpone the proceedings.
Alexander Lukashenko has been the President of Belarus since the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. Lukashenko is known to be a close ally of Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko, born in 1954, studied agriculture. In 1975, Lukashenko joined the Soviet army, serving for two years.
Lukashenko has been described as Europe’s last dictator. In 1979, Lukashenko became a member of the Soviet Communist Party. In 1992, Lukashenko was elected Vice-President of the Soviet-Belarusian Supreme Council.
In 1994, when the constitution of Belarus was established, Lukashenko became its first President, a role he has held ever since. Lukashenko was one of the first world leaders to openly express support for Russia’s actions in the Ukrainian conflict.