Analysis

"This organization is dying": Lukashenka demands greater EAEU integration while partners stay indifferent

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Bakytzhan Sagintayev attend a meeting of the EAEU. Astana, Kazakhstan. May 29, 2026. Photo: Alexander Kazakov / POOL / AFP / East News
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Bakytzhan Sagintayev attend a meeting of the EAEU. Astana, Kazakhstan. May 29, 2026. Photo: Alexander Kazakov / POOL / AFP / East News

Alyaksandr Lukashenka criticized the EAEU's activities during the organization's summit, which took place on May 28-29 in Kazakhstan. He believes the organization's effectiveness needs to be improved. However, other EAEU members are simply uninterested, and the community itself is increasingly moving toward a paper existence, experts say.