Belarus Foreign Minister Dies Suddenly, State Media Says

A senior Belarusian official who led a failed attempt to unfreeze diplomatic ties between the Kremlin-allied government and the West died suddenly over the weekend, media said of state and Belarusian government agencies, in a context of growth. speculation about his country's involvement in the war in neighboring Ukraine.

Vladimir Makei served 10 years as foreign minister of geopolitical battleground Belarus key between Russia and the West. State media reported on Saturday that Mr. Makei died at the age of 64, without mentioning the cause of his death.

The muted reaction of authorities and state-controlled media outlets contrasted with Mr. Makei's status as one of the most prominent Belarusian officials of modern times and one of the country's longest-serving key allies of the authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

The lack of detail, while not unusual under Mr Lukashenko's secretive regime, has fueled a flurry of speculation among commentators on the media on the cause of Mr. Makei's death.

As foreign minister, Mr. Makei led his country's awareness campaign towards the West, that Mr. Lukashenko had tried to oppose to Russia in order to maintain political power at home.

A reserve colonel in the army who spoke fluent English and German, Mr. Makei was one of the few senior Belarusian officers who could move between hardline nationalists and diplomatic circles Europeans, making him a valuable member of Mr. Lukashenko's team, said Pavel Slunkin, a Belarusian political analyst who had worked under Mr. Makei at the Foreign Ministry.

< p class="css- at9mc1 evys1bk0">"Thanks to him, Lukashenko had found a way to the West," Mr Slunkin said, referring to Mr Makei.

Mr. Makei's diplomatic efforts were undone by Mr Lukashenko's decision to crack down on the opposition and violently suppress mass protests following a disputed election in 2020. This made the foreign minister, in the eyes of many Belarusians, a symbol of a gradual political change that never came, said Mr. Slunkin.

Western sanctions in response to Mr. Lukashenko's crackdown have made Belarus increasingly dependent on Russia and a key ally of the President Vladimir V. Putin.

Mr. Putin used Belarus as a base for his invasion of Ukraine in February. The Russian military has used Belarusian territory to train troops and treat injured fighters, supply its forces in Ukraine and launch strikes on Ukrainian towns, raising fears among many in Belarus that their country is gradually heading towards confrontation. directly with a neighbor to the south. And Moscow has recently pressured Mr Lukashenko to get more involved in the failing military campaign next door.

Mr. Makei was due to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey V. Lavrov, later this week.

Mr. Lukashenko did not speak about Mr. Makei's death. The state news agency, Belta, published a one-line article on Saturday saying that the president had offered his condolences to Mr. Makei's family.

M. Lukashenko has yet to announce a replacement for Mr Makei. Analysts believe the pick could give an indication of how far the president is willing to push his alliance with Russia.