At UN, Belarus diplomat bemoans Western actions against it

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The foreign minister of Belarus is accusing Western nations of carrying out “a large-scale hybrid war” against the country because it failed to change the government in elections last year. He insisted those elections were won by President Alexander Lukashenko. Vladimir Makei spoke to the U.N. General Assembly’s high-level meeting. He made no mention of denunciations by Lukashenko’s opposition and Western nations of the elections last year that gave him a sixth term. Nor did he mention the months of protests against the outcome. Belarusian authorities responded to the protests with beatings and arrests of more than 35,000 people.