Lukashenko: Washington Attacks Minsk Because of Belarussian-Russian Integration

The reason why Washington attacks Minsk is "the Belarussian-Russian integration in the first place," Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said in his State of the Nation address on Wednesday.

"The USA has been trying to push the Democracy in Belarus Act through the Congress for years," he told the parliament. According to his words, the document suggests enforcing democracy on Belarus with the help of 50 million dollars.

"Knowing the scantiness of the Belarussian opposition and its current manner of using foreign grants, we may expect to get some 40-50 millionaires at the expense of US tax payers," noted Lukashenko. "We don't know yet if the Americans will in fact grant this money to us, but the Belarussian opposition is already busy dividing it." "With things being as they are, Belarus's strategic interest is to further develop the Union of Belarus and Russia" and prod the Union relationship, stressed the president.