FILE - A Belarusian honor guard carries a national flag during an official ceremony in Minsk, Belarus, on May 14, 2006. Soon after his first election in 1994, President Alexander Lukashenko pushed for a referendum that abandoned the country's new red-and-white national flag in favor of one similar to what Belarus had used as a Soviet republic. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko shake hands during a meeting of the Union State Supreme Council in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Jan. 29, 2024. Throughout his 30-year rule, Lukashenko relied heavily on cheap Russian energy and other subsidies. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko plants trees during a subbotnik, a Soviet-style Clean-up Day, in the village of Liaskovichi, about 270 kilometers (169 miles) south of Minsk, Belarus, on April 25, 2020. Lukashenko, who marks 30 years in power on Saturday, is one of the world's longest-serving and most ruthless leaders. (Maxim Guchek/BelTA Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus emerges from a polling booth after voting in a national referendum in Minsk, Belarus, on Nov. 24, 1996. Lukashenko, who marks 30 years in power on Saturday, is one of the world's longest-serving and most ruthless leaders. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this photo made from video provided by the State TV and Radio Company of Belarus, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko greets riot police near the Palace of Independence in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 23, 2020, amid street protests. Lukashenko's reelection in 2020 was seen by the opposition and the West as fraudulent, sparking the largest protests ever seen in Belarus. In a subsequent crackdown, over 35,000 people were arrested, thousands were beaten in police custody, and hundreds of independent media outlets and nongovernmental organizations were closed and outlawed. (State TV and Radio Company of Belarus via AP, File)
FILE - Tanks move during Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, on Feb. 19, 2022. Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine in February 2022 and later agreed to host some of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, his son Nikolai, center, and Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, attend Orthodox Christmas services in Minsk, Belarus, on Jan. 7, 2022. Nikolai has been seen at his father’s side at official events, fueling speculation that he was being groomed as a successor. (Andrei Stasevich/BelTA Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to journalists during Russia-Belarus military drills near Osipovichi, Belarus, on Feb. 17, 2022. . Lukashenko, who marks 30 years in power on Saturday, is one of the world's longest-serving and most ruthless leaders. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, President Alexander Lukashenko, right, talks with workers as he visits a dairy farm at the Olekshitsy agricultural enterprise in the Berestovitsky district of Belarus, on Aug. 3, 2023. Lukashenko, who marks 30 years in power on Saturday, is one of the world's longest-serving and most ruthless leaders. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)
FILE - President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus gives a speech during a military parade in Minsk, Belarus, on May 9, 2020, that marked the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Lukashenko, who marks 30 years in power on Saturday, is one of the world's longest-serving and most ruthless leaders. (Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Belarusian opposition supporters rally at Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 23, 2020. Lukashenko's reelection in a 2020 vote was seen by the opposition and the West as fraudulent, sparking the largest protests ever seen in Belarus. In a subsequent crackdown, over 35,000 people were arrested, thousands were beaten in police custody, and hundreds of independent media outlets and nongovernmental organizations were closed and outlawed. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko takes the oath of office at his inauguration ceremony at the Palace of the Independence in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 23, 2020. Lukashenko, who marks 30 years in power on Saturday, is one of the world's longest-serving and most ruthless leaders. (Andrei Stasevich/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, center, plays in a hockey match in Minsk, Belarus, on Feb. 12, 2022. During his three decades in power, Lukashenko maintained a tough-guy image by playing hockey, skiing and doing other sports. (Andrei Stasevich, BelTA Pool photo via AP, File)
FILE -- Russian President Boris Yeltsin, left, and President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus drink a toast celebrating the signing of an agreement in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on April 2, 1996. After his first election in 1994, Lukashenko quickly bolstered ties with Russia and pushed for forming a new union state in the apparent hope of becoming its head after a full merger — an ambition dashed by the 2000 election of Vladimir Putin to succeed the ailing Yeltsin. (Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, left, with his sons Viktor, second from left, Dmitry, third from left, and Nikolai, right, attend a meeting with motorbikers in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 24, 2016. Lukashenko kept his youngest son, Nikolai, at his side at official events, fueling speculation that he could be grooming him as a successor. (Maxim Guchek/BelTA Photo via AP, File)