Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that non-presence of President Lukashenka in Moscow on May 9th was not politically motivated, especially, given that Belarusian troops will take part in the Victory Day parade. Earlier, the president said that he would not be present in Moscow on the Victory Day parade on the Red Square, but would take part in some events on the eve of May 9th. Indeed, in response to Lukashenka’s refusal to attend the parade in Moscow on May 9th, relatively mild comments by the Kremlin media have followed. In Belarus, the population and opposition activists have welcomed his decision. In addition, President Lukashenka has received positive reviews in the western media as a politician, who demonstrated independence from the Kremlin. The Belarusian government is trying to anchor Minsk as a neutral negotiation platform, which has an acceptable level of autonomy from the Kremlin.
