Belarus’s Lukashenko says he and Putin often joke about who is the bigger dictator

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has said he and Vladimir Putin joke with each other about which of them is the “bigger dictator”. He made the remark on 17 September during an appearance at a youth forum titled “Youth. Belarus. Future.”

“They say I’m the last dictator, the last dictator in Europe. Dictator — so be it. Well, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and I often argue, jokingly, about which of us is the bigger dictator,” Lukashenko said.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, also said he has had more than enough of power, but that he sees no one ready to take over. "The only question is whether you’re able today to take the country and hold on to it. If you are, get to work tomorrow. To be honest, I can't yet say that you are," he said. According to the independent outlet Zerkalo, he has claimed at least 20 times since 2020 that he is not clinging to power and is "sick of" the presidency.

Lukashenko said earlier that the accusations stem from decisions he made in the early years of his rule. He cited his refusal to support the destruction of part of Belarus’s weapons stockpile and his opposition to removing nuclear weapons from the country after the Soviet Union’s collapse.

“I became a dictator then because I stood up against the entire ‘civilised world,’” he said. He added that the label is now also tied to the construction of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, the buildup of the country’s army and his position on Ukraine.