After Lebanon, French President Emmanuel Macron aspires to become the “mediator” of the Belarusian crisis. However, he has already taken a stand against President Alexander Lukashenko in an interview with the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche on 28 September 2020, and in favour of his opponent Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, whom he encountered in Vilnius the following day.

Going still further, the party of the president, La République en Marche, invited his rival to address the French National Assembly, which she accepted.

It may be recalled that the policies embodied by President Lukashenko enjoy the approval of the overwhelming majority of his fellow citizens, while his methods are strongly criticized by those who identify with the opposition.