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Lukashenko: Europe is trying to destroy Belarus, expects it to protect geopolitical interests

BREST, 23 June (BelTA) - Europe is trying to destroy Belarus, but expects us to protect geopolitical interests, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a ceremony to lay wreaths in the Brest Fortress on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War on 22 June, BelTA has learned.

The president said that European countries expect Belarus to assist in combating illegal migration. But in fact, people are now running to Europe from the countries that the West itself has destroyed, the head of state added.

"Today they complain that Belarusians do not protect them. They demand that we protect them from smuggling and drug trafficking. Even across the Atlantic we hear the calls for help to detain nuclear materials so that they do not get to Europe,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko. “I want to ask them: have you gone crazy there? You are waging a hybrid war against us and demand that we help you as we did before? You are strangling us, systematically and collectively, ruining us, trying to kill our economy and expect us to spend hundreds of millions of US dollars, as before, to protect your geopolitical interests? Only insane people would think that and expect us to support them,” the head of state said.

The head of state stressed that if Europe wants assistance from Belarus in these areas, it should also take steps towards the country, instead of trying to strangle the country. “This is futile. You are too late, ladies and gentlemen,” he said.

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