On 1 June President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko gave an interview to Russia’s big print media: the newspapers Izvestiya and Zavtra, and the magazines Rossiiskaya Federatsiya Segodnya and Soyuznoye Gosudarstvo.

The interview was long planned and took place in the form of a conversation which lasted for three hours and a half.

Alexander Lukashenko was asked more than twenty questions covering Belarus’ domestic issues, steadiness of its economy, measures taken to counter the crisis. The Russian journalists were also interested in the reasons for a slowdown in the building of the Belarus-Russia Union State. Another topic discussed was Belarus’ relationships with Western countries, its participation in the Eastern Partnership project. In addition, much was spoken about the history of the Belarus-Russia Union State.

The Head of State was also asked personal questions about his views of life and the role of a leader in managing a country.