In the first episode of the East-West Coffee Shop podcast, European Leadership Network (ELN) Policy Fellow Ben Challis sits down with Yauheni Preiherman and Katia Glod to discuss the developing situation in Belarus following the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been described as the last dictator in Europe.
As Belarus heads into its most turbulent elections in decades on 9th August, Ben Challis warns that there is an urgent need to avoid a dangerous competition for influence there between Russia and the West.
The next phase of the EU’s Eastern Partnership will be launched this week. The approach set out so far fails to deliver – at this week’s summit, leaders should address the gaps.
If emerging opposition protests are sustained or grow, they could become a dangerous moment in the Russia-West rivalry.