Belarus: Tensions with Sweden but No Break with EU

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov in Belarus on Aug. 14. The visit comes during a time of strained relations between Minsk and the West caused by Belarus' dispute with Sweden.

Tensions between Belarus and the European Union are not new and follow a trend of increasing Belarusian alienation from the West. Although the dispute between Belarus and Sweden is the first these countries have had at such a high level, tensions are unlikely to grow since the West does not want to further isolate Belarus before the country's parliamentary elections Sept. 23.