Belarusian foreign minister Vladimir Makei ‘suddenly dies’ aged 64
No cause of death has yet been mentioned by Belarus state media
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Belarus foreign minister Vladimir Makei has reportedly died aged 64.
Belarusian state news agency Belta reported the “sudden” death – but no cause was mentioned.
It said: “Foreign minister Vladimir Makei has passed away suddenly.”
Mr Makei had been president Alexander Lukashenko’s chief of staff since 2012, and had publicly defended Belarus’s support of Russia during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus, which is north of Ukraine, had also continued to host Russian military bases during the invasion, which started in February.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram: “We are shocked by the reports of the death of the head of the ministry of foreign affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei.
“Official condolences will be published soon.”
Earlier this week, Mr Makei attended a conference in Armenia of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a military alliance of several post-soviet states.
He was expected to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday.
In September, he defended Belarus’s position in the Ukraine war to the United Nations Security Council, saying: “Belarus is referred to as an ‘accomplice of the aggressor’ or even a party to the conflict.
“We have said and continue to say: Belarus has never advocated the war. But we are not traitors either.
“We have allied commitments, and we are strictly following and will follow the spirit and letter of international treaties to which we are parties.”
Mr Makei echoed the Kremlin’s reasoning for the war by blaming Nato and the West, who “overlooked the legitimate security interests of both Russia and Belarus”.
Before joining the government, he had a military career in soviet Belarus from 1980 to 1993 that saw him rise to the rank of colonel.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments