CNBC: Belarus could be used as a Russian ‘weapon’ against NATO, Lithuania president says
* NATO leaders are meeting in Brussels on Monday for their first face-to-face gathering since U.S. President Joe Biden started his tenure at the White House.
* At the top of their discussions is the relationship with Moscow, which, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, is at its lowest point since the Cold War.
Russia is extending its influence into Belarus and could use it as leverage against NATO countries, Gitanas Nausėda, the president of Lithuania told CNBC in an exclusive interview Monday.
“We see the military buildup of Russian forces in Ukraine, in [the] Kaliningrad region and of course we see what’s happening in Belarus right now.
We see that this country is losing its last elements of independence, and could be used in the hands of Russians as a weapon … for foreign aggressive activities towards NATO allies,” the Lithuanian leader said.
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Update: At NATO, Lithuania says Russia trying to "swallow" Belarus (Reuters)
WNU Editor: If Russia wanted to swallow Belarus they would have done so a long time ago.
There are many reasons why this has not happened, even though both countries share the Russian language, culture, and history.
In the end it all comes down to what the people in Russia and Belarus want. And from what I can see, the overwhelming opinion in Russia is to keep the status quo. And in Belarus the overwhelming majority want to see the dictator Lukashenko and his regime gone. An integration of the two countries is not on the public radar.
