Lukashenko noted Trump's directness on issues of Venezuela and Greenland

On January 19, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko positively assessed the directness of US President Donald Trump in his statements about his interest in the resources of Venezuela and Greenland.

"Look, he's openly saying, 'We need Venezuela because there's oil there. We need Greenland, because rare earth metals, oil, and gas are also important for defense." He talks about it openly. That diplomats don't accept. And so am I. Shut up already, that there is oil, say that there are drug lords, fight against them. And he's talking openly.: he needs oil," the BelTA news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying.

The Belarusian president stressed that in such an international environment Minsk and Moscow need to strengthen cooperation and avoid dependence on other countries. He noted that "there are few friends left around," and cited Venezuela as an example, which, according to him, it is important to support, despite its geographical remoteness.

"There are very few friends around. And if there is, then there are certain problems. The Venezuelans were not our enemies. <...> We are thinking how to help and not abandon this country, because we cannot lose friends," the president added.

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Bloomberg reported on January 8 that Trump views Venezuela as a long-term oil asset. According to analysts, shale production in the United States, which has given the country the status of the largest producer in the world, is approaching the limit of growth, while global oil demand continues to update records.

Nikolai Topornin, an international lawyer and director of the Center for European Information, pointed out in a comment to Izvestia that Trump, if he succeeds in annexing Greenland to the United States, undoubtedly expects to gain prestige for his country and receive great financial benefits from the island in the future.

NBC reported on January 14 that the United States could pay up to $700 billion for the purchase of Greenland if the American leader could reach an appropriate deal. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on January 13 that the island's residents want to stay with Denmark. Later, he noted that he considered the "repeated rhetoric" of the United States regarding the island to be disrespectful and unacceptable.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.