Source: Voice of Russia

Since the controversial re-election of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka in December 2010—and the accompanying crackdown on many protestors and opposition candidates—relations between Belarus and the European Union have deteriorated. In an interview with Voice of Russia, Carnegie’s Matthew Rojansky argued that the latest round of European Union sanctions on Belarus and the decision to recall EU member states’ ambassadors from Minsk clearly signal that “Europe has closed the door” on Belarus. Although European Union officials—most notably Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski – have traditionally adopted a “soft power approach” toward Belarus, Rojansky noted that Lukashenka has rejected the carrot of European integration and “really spat in their faces.” Rojansky described the pattern in relations between Belarus and the West as one in which “Belarus escalates and the West responds.” As a result, “Lukashenka made himself totally vulnerable and totally exposed to Moscow because he has no friends left in the West,” Rojansky concluded.