Report by Andrei Kolesnikov on how the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council with Putin and Lukashenko went

On December 25, in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov believes that it is no longer possible to imagine this organization without the leaders of Belarus, Iran and Cuba, although not everyone is included in it yet.

Vladimir Putin flew to St. Petersburg the night before. This could not be confused with anything: the outer side of the Moscow Ring Road was blocked for only a few minutes, but the “Conversations” in the navigator lasted until late at night. I myself was driving along the inner side of the Moscow Ring Road at that time and enjoyed reading these “Conversations”, having, however, a purely academic interest in them.

An early departure meant that the next morning Vladimir Putin was almost on time at the shipyards of the Severnaya Verf shipyard. There, a ceremony was held to raise the naval flag on the frigate “Admiral Golovko”, the small missile ship “Naro-Fominsk” and the sea minesweeper “Lev Chernavin”. From Mr. Putin’s solemn speech it became clear that the frigate is the basis of the fleet’s strike group in the far sea ocean zone. That the missile ship specializes in long-range cruise missile strikes. And the minesweeper has a unique hull.

And all this was done for the New Year. Happy holiday! And what’s on the way is too scary to list.

Meanwhile, Mr. Putin listed, wondering as he walked which was correct: “shipyards” or “shipyards,” and came to the conclusion that “shipyards.”

And after some time he had already arrived at the Presidential Library named after B.N. Yeltsin, where a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council was to take place.

Here in the library, traditional silence reigns. This is the personification of stability and conservatism. Here, in the press center, for example, where each seat is equipped with a separate monitor, the first step is to take the “Constitution Test 2018”. That is, here time has a special race (with obstacles).

At the same time, it is already absolutely clear that the main lesson of the 2018 Constitution for Vladimir Putin is that the 2020 Constitution was needed. Vladimir Putin was the first to arrive at the library. Soon Mr. Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, appeared in a suit and cap (that is, everyone else, on the contrary, was in coats and jackets and without caps).

Well, lately Mr. Pashinyan, apparently, intends to contradict his colleagues in everything.

The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, drove past the library without slowing down or looking into it. You could say he was circling her. Meanwhile, Tajikistan is not a member of the Supreme Council of the EAEU, so there was no point in cutting circles. But the motorcade moving past the library was nevertheless promising.

Everyone was, of course, waiting for the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who should not have remained indifferent to the journalists who had been freezing for an hour and a half in the cold, and they were right.

He answered questions for ten minutes, and with enthusiasm. At the same time, not for the first time, he stopped his Aurus (though not his own) 50 meters from the entrance to the library and approached it on foot: as if he had just walked through the brisk frost from the hotel.

— I compare the work of all associations: SCO, BRICS… We are the most advanced! — he began to tell with pleasure on the steps of the library. “BRICS don’t speak the same language like the rest of us, without translators!” And they do not have this single economic space. Although we have plenty of shortcomings!.. We must move! And we froze!..

That is, Alexander Lukashenko has now given contradictory testimony.

— Isn’t it cold without a hat? – they asked him, of course, and now it was, of course, plagiarism.

“I’ve been walking all my life, that’s why I have no hair!” – Alexander Lukashenko was unusually honest.

— Have all the nuclear charges been delivered to you? – they asked him.

– Listen, okay! I told you: everything is in its place and in good condition…

He should have added here that he was ready to deliver these charges further wherever needed. But I had to come up with something to say.

“And the former Wagnerites who remain with us pass on their experience…” Mr. Lukashenko answered the unasked question, obviously very much wanting to answer it.

— Is there a chance to decide on Ukraine next year?

– Best chance! — the President of Belarus became even more animated. “We will somehow work with them so that they understand that this is their only chance!” If we don’t use it, it will be a total disaster!

He apparently meant Ukraine first of all. He cared about her.

— You, probably, at Zelensky’s press conference (Vladimir Zelensky, President of Ukraine.— “Kommersant”) noticed that he was beginning to understand… – Mr. Lukashenko shrugged.

What exactly, he did not have time to explain. However, Mr. Zelensky did not explain this either.

— And here is Borrell (Josep Borrell, head of EU diplomacy.— “Kommersant”) says that Russia is almost going to attack NATO… said one of the correspondents.

– Well, this is nonsense! Well, this is a bad man! – qualified the President of Belarus. – It’s just!.. He’s a fool! He has nothing to do with politics! If he were smart, he would have thought like this, like a businessman: God forbid that we and Russia can sort out these problems!.. Here you are, let’s say, a Russian. I’m there on the front line… What are we going to do before the war?.. Before the new one? We would like to sort this war out…” he repeated. “Especially now, when the situation is developing favorably!” Not only for us, but also for them, so as not to lose Ukraine!

The President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov walked past, behind Alexander Lukashenko, into the library, but no one paid attention to him.

— Aren’t you offended that Pashinyan flew to St. Petersburg and to Minsk to see you (for the CSTO meeting.— A.K.) didn’t arrive?

– What are you talking about?! – exclaimed Alexander Lukashenko. – These are different formats! I knew that he would fly to St. Petersburg. You didn’t listen well, I talked about it. What a shame! I knew everything!..

— Won’t we lose Armenia? — one of the journalists was finally interested.

– If Armenia wants to die economically… Then we can lose it. But I don’t think that Armenians are stupid people! Armenians are smart people! There is not a single Jew there! Do you know why? Because Armenians are the smartest people! Well, as they say!.. What, they didn’t see how people fell from the landing gear of the plane in Afghanistan when the Americans were flying away?! Well, that’s exactly how they will use Armenia – and they’ll dump them! Do you think this won’t happen? It will be so! This is their policy! I’m telling you like an ancient politician!

Alexander Lukashenko really spoke the truth now and nothing but the truth.

— But the most important thing is that we must not disappoint those who come to us (in the EAEU.— A.K.) will come! – finished Alexander Lukashenko. – I’m not talking about Cuba!

Well, he will have to try.

“Please close the door,” Mr. Putin asked, starting the meeting in a narrow format.

He took care not to catch a cold out of nowhere.

However, the meeting in a narrow format was short. Everyone spoke publicly at the extended meeting, including Mr. Putin himself. He said that he had agreed with his colleagues to hold the anniversary summit of the EAEU in Moscow in May next year.

Apparently, they will come to Victory Day, and he will receive them as the new president of Russia.

Everyone was looking forward to Mr. Pashinyan’s speech with interest. But nothing intriguing was heard, except, perhaps, an excuse for the fact that the Prime Minister of Armenia was present at this particular fraternal meeting, having previously ignored other fraternal meetings.

“We will strive to suppress attempts to politicize our union, our integration,” Mr. Pashinyan said, in my opinion, precisely in his own justification. “Basic freedoms of trade and integration cannot and should not be limited due to political considerations!”

That is, whoever his true political ally is, what the Armenian prime minister actually had in mind, the prospect of economic benefit allows him to deal with any partner, including such as Russia and other countries that are, for example, members of the CSTO ( hello to both Messrs. Lukashenko and Tokayev)…

“The lack of a common border with the countries of the EAEU is a challenge for Armenia,” continued Nikol Pashinyan.

But, as I understand it, so is the call.

Alexander Lukashenko repeated the theses presented on the steps of the library in more detail and diplomatically. The remaining leaders did not become famous for anything at all.

Talking about the achievements, the President of Belarus did not deny himself the pleasure of mentioning that extremely good results in the republic were achieved primarily “in a chicken egg.”

He spoke about it with the feeling that he knew something special. As if there, in the chicken egg, there was a needle, at the tip of which someone’s death was lurking (maybe someone who could not ensure the rhythmic supply of the egg).

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was good, as always. Without his thoughts on the need for anti-imperialist solidarity, the EAEU would be incomplete.

And so – everything was now quite like New Year’s.

Andrey Kolesnikov, St. Petersburg