Donald Trump was in constant communication with Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting in Alaska to better understand Vladimir Putin’s mindset. Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, is regarded as one of Putin’s closest allies. Trump remained in contact with Lukashenko throughout the talks.
Trump sought to learn Putin’s true intentions through Lukashenko. He contacted Lukashenko just before the meeting. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were also in attendance.
Before the meeting, Ukraine and European nations expressed that Putin’s efforts were aimed at prolonging the timeline. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, stated that Putin was trying to appease Trump’s anger and was pretending to negotiate to avoid taking action.
Zelenskyy argued that Putin did not desire peace, but instead sought to capture land through war. This led Donald Trump to consistently try to figure out if Putin was just attempting to extend the timeline.
Alexander Lukashenko has been the President of Belarus since the country became independent from the Soviet Union. Lukashenko is considered a close confidant of Vladimir Putin. Born in 1954, Lukashenko studied agriculture. In 1975, he enlisted in the Soviet army, where he served for two years.
Lukashenko has been called the last dictator in Europe. In 1979, Lukashenko became a member of the Soviet Communist Party. In 1992, Lukashenko was elected Vice-President of the Soviet-Belarusian Supreme Council.
When the constitution of Belarus was formed in 1994, Lukashenko was elected as its first president. He has been in that position ever since. Lukashenko was among the first world leaders to openly support Russia’s actions in the Ukraine war.