Bellicose Lukashenko claims that Russia & Belarus could team up & bring Western-orientated Ukraine ‘to its knees’ in just 24 hours

Belarus will not impose sanctions on Ukraine, but, at any time, Minsk could team up with Russian President Vladimir Putin and bring Kiev “to its knees” in just one day, Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko told journalists on Monday.

Speaking at the ‘Big Conversation with the President’ press conference, the Belarusian president said he could seriously harm Ukraine if he imposed an embargo on supplies of fuel and lubricants.

Ukraine buys a significant proportion of its diesel from Belarus, its northern neighbor. Earlier this year, when Belarus’ Mozyr refinery planned to undergo maintenance, there was fear in Kiev that Ukrainians would face a severe fuel shortage.

“We are not going to impose any sanctions against you,” he said, responding to a question from a Ukrainian journalist. “If we wanted to bring you to your knees, we would do it within 24 hours together with President Putin, who you dislike so much.”

He added that Ukrainians themselves would “carry [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky and the rest of the leaders of Ukraine” on a pitchfork.

READ MORE: Belarus unlikely to become part of Russia as Putin doesn’t need ‘another headache,’ Lukashenko says, promising to resign ‘soon’

According to Lukashenko, Minsk will not “shoot itself in the foot,” noting that sanctions and stopping trade would also be painful for Belarus. As things stand, the two nations have a trade turnover of about $6 billion a year, he claimed.

“It is profitable for both you and us. But you behave very badly sometimes,” he continued. “Don’t do this. This is the economy, not politics.”

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