LONDON ¨C Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is usually the one thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin or asking him for a favor ¡ª be it a loan, cheap gas, help in navigating protests or tactical nuclear weapons. This time, the shoe is on the other foot.
While the full extent of Lukashenko¡¯s role in defusing an armed mutiny on Saturday by Wagner mercenaries aimed at toppling Russia¡¯s military leadership remains unclear, the Belarusian leader ¡ª derided by Russian officials for years as a useful but volatile and demanding partner ¡ª is now being feted in Russia.
It was Lukashenko, according to his own narrative and Putin, who played a major role in ending a mutiny that threatened to destabilize the world¡¯s largest nuclear power.
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