Lukashenko on US 'conspiracy' regarding Maduro

"I want you to understand: everything was there. The agreement, the money paid — including to people in Venezuela, to the military and civilians. There was collusion, there was betrayal. Everything was there," Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

The leader of Belarus linked the US operation in Venezuela to "Donald Trump's concession to the military" and noted that Venezuela had received support in the past when the country cooperated with Chavez and Maduro. He stated, "If someone has forgotten, I have not," and emphasized the readiness of old allies to support them in the current situation.

"Yesterday I said that if you, Americans, want a second Vietnam, you will get it. No matter how the situation develops, I think they heard that," Lukashenko added. The president expressed doubts about the effectiveness of US plans, anticipating heavy losses and public discontent in America.

In his remarks, he compared US actions to "running out of Afghanistan, clinging to airplane landing gear," urging to show they have strength, while at the same time asserting that this step would bring no benefit to the US.

Lukashenko noted that America is "a very complicated country" and emphasized that "it's not like here, not even in Russia or other countries." He added that this was most likely Trump's concession to the military and questioned whether they understand the consequences of such operations.

Context

In recent years, the US government has officially tightened sanctions against Venezuela due to political and economic disagreements. The US State Department has repeatedly stated its readiness for possible military intervention.