Byelorussia's Relations with the European Union and the United States (1992-2018): from Distancing to Drift to the West

The article examines the development of relations between Byelorussia and the European Union and the United States of America in 1992-2018. Since the mid-90s the Byelorussian political situation has been criticized by the West. The West imposed sanctions against Byelorussia to force the country to comply with its requirements. In response, Byelorussia began to strengthen integration ties with Russia. To counteract the Russian-Byelorussian rapprochement the European Union began to offer Byelorussia opportunities for integration into Europe. In 2009, Byelorussia became a member of the Eastern partnership. That organization was aimed to act against Russia. The European Union realized that the Byelorussian regime wanted Byelorussia to look like a European country. After the Crimea separation from Ukraine and its accession to Russia, the Byelorussian opposition and government were afraid of Russia capturing Byelorussia, although Russia did not give rise to such fears. The European Union began to cooperate more closely with the official Minsk, not paying attention to the violation of human rights and the presence of political prisoners in Byelorussia. In 2017, Byelorussia voted against Russia in the session of the OSCE parliamentary Assembly. Almost all sanctions were lifted. The United States of America also started treating Byelorussia neutrally, but in mid-90s they imposed sanctions against it. The US were more consistent in the application of sanctions. In 2008, Byelorussia demanded the American Ambassador to leave Minsk. But soon the US and Byelorussia began to look for closer contacts. After 2014, the Americans began to support the anti-Russian phobias of the Byelorussian elite. In 2018, Byelorussia was declared a reliable Bastion against Russian neo-imperialism country. Today Byelorussia seeks to expand contacts with the West to be able to distance itself from Russia. Maneuvering between the West and Russia is necessary for the Byelorussian President to maintain his power.