Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has accused the “stinky” European Union of deliberately blocking Ukrainian grain exports to Africa, while praising former U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to bypass the bloc.
In an interview published Friday, Lukashenko alleged Brussels was obstructing efforts by the United States and Russia to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative and redirect shipments through overland routes.
“They [the EU] don’t want that, those stinkers,” Lukashenko said, claiming the bloc feared the grain would end up on the Western European market.
The Belarusian leader argued that sea routes through the Black Sea remain unsafe due to naval mines near the port of Odessa and said Trump’s proposal to send grain overland via Poland or Germany was a viable alternative. However, he insisted Belarus should oversee the process.
“On the contrary, it is necessary to involve Belarus in this process, so no grain is transported through the stinky EU,” Lukashenko said, adding Minsk could provide “full control” over shipments and ensure grain meant for Africa would not be diverted to Western Europe.
The original grain deal, brokered in July 2022 by the United Nations and Türkiye, collapsed in 2023 after Moscow accused Western powers of failing to honour their commitments, particularly on Russian fertiliser and food exports.
Since then, Washington and Moscow have discussed reviving the agreement under new terms, including rerouting shipments through alternative corridors.
In March, the EU rejected Russian demands to lift sanctions on the Russian Agricultural Bank, a key condition for Moscow’s return to the deal. The Kremlin said the refusal showed the bloc’s unwillingness to help end the Ukraine conflict.
Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, has sought to position himself as a mediator and transit partner in ongoing regional negotiations.
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