OREANDA-NEWS. The situation in Belarus is not a competition between the USA and Russia, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said. The politician called it confrontation between the ruler and the nation he claims to rule.

Biegun also claimed that the United States does not believe that Russia should support Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. According to him, most Belarusians consider Russia the country closest to them, and Washington respects these feelings and sovereign choice. At the same time, American authorities do not understand how Moscow can support such a regime and violence against civilians. If the Kremlin continues on this path, it risks turning the Belarusian people against Moscow, Biegun added.

The Deputy Secretary of State also said that, according to the United States, the Belarusian people rejected Lukashenko’s rule during the August election. He called on the people of Russia to resist disinformation about the protest movement and support the Belarusian people in their quest for justice.