Because Moscow is throttling the gas supply, Europe fears an energy crisis in winter. For Belarus ruler Lukashenko, the worries are a godsend. In a video, the Putin supporter shows himself chopping wood. He also offers the West some of his firewood.
Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko made fun of concerns in Europe about the energy crisis while chopping wood. "We will not let Europe freeze to death," says Lukashenko in the video, which was broadcast on state television. "We will help our brothers," adds Lukashenko. "Maybe one day they will help us too."
"Europeans can't be picky at the moment. Fir or birch - the main thing is that they're warm," says Lukashenko sarcastically, while standing in front of a large pile of wood with an axe. At the same time he offers to share his firewood. "We should think about how we can make this firewood available to the farming and working-class families there and not to the big business tycoons."
It is also important to ensure that Poland's President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stay warm. "They're our neighbors, aren't they? Maybe they'll clear their heads," Lukashenko remarks mockingly. Last year, thousands of people tried to enter Poland illegally from Belarus. Warsaw accuses Lukashenko of deliberately smuggling refugees to the border to put pressure on the EU, which Lukashenko denies.
Lukashenko, who has been sanctioned by the West for suppressing the opposition, is an ally of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. Belarus is financially and politically heavily dependent on Russia. Russia launched the military operation in Ukraine in February from several directions, including from Belarusian territory. Because Russia has now largely stopped its gas supplies to Europe, an energy crisis is feared in winter.
