"We are in the same boat." Lukashenko explained why Belarus and Russia need to focus on their own
January 19, 2026
Belarus and Russia need to focus on their own first and foremost. This was stated by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on January 19 at a meeting with the Governor of the Kirov region of Russia Alexander Sokolov, a BELTA correspondent reports. "We are in the same boat. Therefore, as Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and I agreed, we need to focus on our own. Sanctions, no sanctions - we need to focus on our own," the head of state emphasized.
"There are still a number of problems that need to be solved. But we will solve them with President Putin. The main thing is that both governors and enterprise managers understand that we need our own. Technologies. Listen, we have so many technologies. Even from Soviet times, which we simply threw away, forgot, rushing to the West. And now we realized that we had normal technologies. And they are alive and well today, they need to be used. We need to do our own. We can ensure our independence in almost all areas," Alexander Lukashenko noted. As an example of successful cooperation with Russia in the field of import substitution, the President cited the microelectronics industry, which is in demand in both military and civilian equipment.
"We need to survive these hard times," the Belarusian leader emphasized.