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2023-09-16 08:27:09

Putin assures that Ukraine and the United States “will have to dance the Russian ‘barynya’ in one way or another”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his belief that the Kremlin will impose its wishes on the United States and Ukraine in their war. Asked about statements by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, that “it takes two to tango”, in reference to a hypothetical negotiation between Moscow and kyiv, Putin has been blunt. “Tango is good, of course, but I think it is important that Ukraine does not forget the hopak (your traditional dance), or you will end up dancing to someone else’s tune. And by the way, one way or another everyone will have to dance the barynya (Russian folk dance) or, at best, like a Cossack,” the Russian leader warned during a meeting with the Belarusian leader, Alexandr Lukashenko.

Both leaders met in Sochi, on the Black Sea coast, on Lukashenko’s first official trip to Russia since the death of the owner of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in an air disaster of which no details have yet been clarified. three weeks later. The Belarusian president acted as an intermediary between the Kremlin and the mercenaries during their June 23-24 mutiny, and Prigozhin agreed to lay down his weapons in exchange for moving his company to Belarus and receiving security guarantees.

This Friday’s meeting took place two days after Putin received the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, in the far east of the country. “It was nice to see you and Kim Jong-un at the Vostochny cosmodrome,” he said. stated the Belarusian leader. “I think we can think about cooperation between the three of us. I know that the Koreans have great interest in you, and I think that there will be room for Belarus taking into account the problems that exist,” Lukashenko added.

“Korea is our neighbor, one way or another we must build good neighborly relations with our neighbors,” Putin added when the invasion of Ukraine has already dragged on for more than a year and a half.

Minsk, Moscow and Pyonyang are among the most sanctioned regimes in the world. Russia, punished for its invasion of Ukraine, has in fact passed several resolutions against North Korea as a member of the UN Security Council.

The Belarusian regime has been militarily and financially dependent on the Kremlin since it was rescued from protests by its population in 2020. Due to the economic crisis caused by sanctions, Putin has tried to reassure Lukashenko about the state of its budgets for next year: “ Here (the situation) is stable and reliable,” Putin assured, also promising a more detailed breakdown of his accounts in the future.