Belarus in April 2026: the most important developments in politics
Belarus's politics in April 2026 were led by a run of public statements by President Alexander Lukashenko on the United States, Iran and the war in Ukraine. On 2 April he said he had advised Donald Trump to let Israel fight Iran, and on 10 April, receiving foreign ambassadors, he said global affairs are governed by the "right of the strong". On 17 April he criticized US policy and commented on the US-Iran strike; on 18 April he rejected an alliance with the United States against Russia; and on 19 April he spoke about Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin. On 20 April he said Belarus would use "everything" if attacked and that Russia would join in. Zelenskyy had warned Belarus on 17 April against joining Russia's war.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Russia-led alliance, was the second theme. Lukashenko urged caution in dealings with Armenia on 6 April. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on 20 April that the organization lacks strict discipline, and Armenia announced it would not intensify its activities in it. On 23 April Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan again raised the possibility of leaving; no formal decision has been announced.
Relations with Russia continued: on 12 April Putin and Lukashenko discussed cooperation among Belarus, Russia and North Korea by phone. Belarus plans to open an embassy in North Korea by 1 August, and Lukashenko confirmed he will attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow.
With Western neighbours, the main event came on 28 April, when Belarus released the imprisoned Polish journalist and Sakharov Prize winner Andrzej Poczobut in a swap brokered by the United States. Poland's foreign minister hoped for a new chapter in relations. Lithuania's prime minister ruled out rapprochement without goodwill steps from Minsk, and a Lithuanian citizen was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Belarus. Belarus revoked the passport of a Nobel Prize laureate. At home, Lukashenko held a meeting on the Mogilev region, and Dmitry Zhuk was introduced as the new Information Minister.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.