On August 8, the official website of the President of Belarus published an interview article by Lukashenko with a reporter from the American magazine Time. During the interview, Lukashenko clearly stated that he has no intention of running for the next presidential election, nor will he let his younger son, Nikolai, take over.

When the journalist mentioned that Western media often refer to Lukashenko's younger son, Nikolai, as the "successor." The president who has been in power for 31 years responded:

"No, he is not the successor. I know that's what you want to ask. No, no, no. If you directly ask him, it might hurt him."

Lukashenko said that his successor can make minor adjustments to existing policies, but should not make drastic changes:

"Just don't throw everything out at once. It should be like me, relying on the strong, using existing resources, developing the country in a balanced and gradual way, without revolutionary destruction. But if he can convince society to move towards another state, then let him do it."

When asked if he would seek a new presidential term, Lukashenko replied, "No, I have no such plans now. I just thought in my heart, but didn't say it out loud: 'Look, Trump is almost 80 years old, but he looks very good.'"

In the interview, Lukashenko also proposed holding a meeting between the presidents of Russia, the United States, and Ukraine in the capital of Belarus. To Belarus, Russians and Ukrainians are all relatives. Belarus plays an important role as an intermediary in the prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. He also believes that Putin would be willing to meet Trump in Minsk.

Lukashenko also talked about the deployment of nuclear weapons within Belarus. He revealed that he had actively applied to Putin to return the nuclear weapons (note: after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus was once a nuclear power, and later, like Ukraine, it underwent "nuclear disarmament"). This was done to counter the risk of external invasion, and he received his approval. Now the nuclear weapons have been returned, and by the end of this year, Russia's latest "Hazelnut" missile will be deployed in Belarus. This missile can carry a nuclear warhead. He also emphasized that neither he nor Putin wants to use nuclear weapons:

"We don't want to destroy each other either. But... if someone invades our borders, we will use all the weapons we have immediately to retaliate. This is not a threat, just a warning in advance."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7536405697215414811/

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