By Dzianis Melyantsou At the all-Belarusian People’s Assembly, the ‘hostile acts from the West’ narrative was reiterated, and the imperative of a pro-Russian foreign policy emphasised, however interest in normalising relations with the West was also in evidence. During his speech at the People’s Assembly, Lukashenka repeated the canard of a failed “blitzkrieg” inspired by the West. Traditional rhetoric about the destructive role of the United States and other Western countries in world politics via “sanctions regimes” also featured. Lukashenka and Foreign Minister Makei stressed Russia’s overriding importance for Belarusian foreign policy; however, the concept of multi-polar relations has not been entirely abandoned. Lukashenka declared that Belarus is interested in having “balanced and diverse ties with the outside world” and emphasised that relations with the European Union are also crucial for Belarus.