Europe’s final dictator claims Kim Jong Un is ‘not a tyrant’ in most deluded bromance ever
Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko has launched a staunch defence of Kim Jong Un, calling him ‘not a dictator’ during talks to boost trade and bypass sanctions
Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko has launched a staunch defence of Kim Jong Un(Image: Anadolu via Getty)
Europe’s last dictator has astonishingly claimed North Korea’s brutal leader Kim Jong Un is “not a tyrant” as the pair’s deluded bromance continues to blossom. Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko made the bizarre defence of his pal to a Russian politician on Monday.
Lukashenko, who has gripped onto power in Belarus since 1994, couldn’t stop singing the praises of the despot following their high-stakes summit earlier this year.
Speaking in front of cameras during a meeting with Russian governor Oleg Kozhemyako, the Belarusian leader gushed over Kim, reportedly calling him a smart, young and promising man who wants to work together.
The 71-year-old strongman revealed Kim “made a very strong impression” on him when he visited Pyongyang back in March.
Shrugging off North Korea’s horrific human rights record, Lukashenko said: “He is not any kind of dictator or anything like that. In fact, he simply cannot be a dictator.” Beaming over their newly formed alliance, he added: “We have established good relations.”
According to NK News, the cosy chat happened as a massive North Korean government delegation landed in Minsk to talk about food security and healthcare.
Lukashenko is now trying to use Kozhemyako’s region, which shares a border with North Korea, as a secret trade route to bypass international sanctions.
He even asked the Russian governor for “mediation services in trade with the DPRK,” because of Kozhemyako’s unique relationship with Kim “that nobody else has.”
During their bromantic summit earlier this year, the two controversial leaders signed a major cooperation pact. To seal the deal, Lukashenko even gifted the North Korean ruler a Belarusian rifle “in case enemies turn up.”
According to Lukashenko, Kim is fully on board with a three-way alliance between Belarus, North Korea and the Russian border region.
Russian governor Kozhemyako was quick to boast about how easy it would be to move goods, pointing out a new road bridge being built across the Tumen River, alongside plans for a ferry service and new flight routes. He told Lukashenko that isolated North Korea is desperate for Belarusian machinery and food.
The bizarre meeting coincided with North Korea’s External Economic Relations Minister, Yun Jong Ho, holding parallel talks with Belarusian Deputy PM Yuri Shuleiko at an agricultural expo.
The two sides agreed to turbocharge their trade and economic cooperation, with the North Korean team, including their new ambassador Ji Kyong Su, touring medical facilities and looking at X-ray machines, dental gear, and medicines.
Belarusian Health Minister Alexander Khodzhayev even dropped a hint that they might export ambulances to North Korea, conveniently ignoring strict international sanctions that ban the hermit kingdom from importing vehicles.
