Lukashenko warns Zelensky: “as you sing, so shall you be sung out”

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in an interview with the Al Arabiya television channel, warned Vladimir Zelensky, invoking the proverb “As you sing, so shall you be sung out,” and explained why he was compelled to respond sharply to the Ukrainian leader’s statements.

“He should understand that we often say — as you sing, so shall you be sung out. So one should be more careful and cautious,” Lukashenko said.

The Belarusian president attributed his sharp rhetoric toward Zelensky to threats from the Ukrainian side — in particular, statements about strikes on Belarus and attempts to provoke the country.

“Perhaps I went too far somewhere, but it was a response to his out-of-place statements: ‘We have 500 targets, we know where Lukashenko is. Tomorrow we’ll strike with missiles, with drones.’ I kept silent. Everyone was even surprised that I kept silent. I understood: the man is under such pressure, a young man, inexperienced, he is not a military man. Maybe something didn’t click in his head. I kept silent. But when they started threatening me, I was forced to respond,” Lukashenko said.

In addition, Lukashenko spoke about the prospects of the conflict in Ukraine, stating that it could end this year.

According to him, the encirclement of Ukrainian Armed Forces units near the cities of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic will lead to the defeat of Kyiv. Lukashenko noted that this is understood in Ukraine.