Lukashenko: Trump should not dictate Ukraine's leadership
Belarusian president states Ukrainian people must decide their leader, not US president
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Lukashenko: Trump should not dictate Ukraine's leadership
Photograph: Novinky.cz (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that US President Donald Trump should not dictate who leads Ukraine.
- Lukashenko said the decision of who leads Ukraine rests with the Ukrainian people.
- The Belarusian president noted that Ukraine cannot legally hold presidential elections under martial law.
- Lukashenko predicted that peace in Ukraine would be achieved either this year or next year.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 11 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 17 of the 28 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
41/100
28 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 2 of the 11 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has stated that US President Donald Trump should not dictate who leads Ukraine. Lukashenko said the decision of who leads Ukraine rests with the Ukrainian people. He also noted that Ukraine cannot legally hold presidential elections under martial law, as Ukrainian laws prohibit national elections during its validity.
Lukashenko suggested that President Zelensky's dependence on the United States could lead to a cutoff of intelligence and weapons. He advised that neither a person nor a state should become dependent on others, especially on great powers. The Belarusian president also predicted that peace in Ukraine would be achieved either this year or next year.
Disagreement on Zelensky's future
Novinky.cz reported that Lukashenko recalled Zelensky's past campaign promise to serve only one term and stated that promises should be kept, implying Zelensky should go to elections. However, Kyiv Post stated that Lukashenko argued Zelensky should face an election, while also rejecting Trump's attempt to dictate Ukraine's leadership. Wording from digests does not attribute these specific claims about Zelensky's term or election to any particular outlet.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated or centre-rated digests mention Lukashenko's prediction that peace in Ukraine would be achieved this year or next. None of the right-rated digests mention Lukashenko's statement that Ukraine cannot legally hold presidential elections under martial law.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 16 Oct 2026, 21:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The two left-rated reports focused on Lukashenko's rejection of Trump's interference in Ukraine's leadership. Novinky.cz reported that Lukashenko stated Trump has nothing to dictate and that the Ukrainian people will decide who their president will be. This report also noted Lukashenko's reminder of Zelensky's promise to serve one term and the legal impossibility of holding elections under martial law. Kyiv Post's report also highlighted Lukashenko's statement that it is not Trump's decision who Ukraine's president should be, while also mentioning his argument that Zelensky should face an election.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- The two centre-rated reports focused on Lukashenko's response to Trump's comments regarding Ukraine's leadership. ZN.UA reported that Lukashenko stated Trump should not dictate to Ukraine who its president should be. 15min.lt reported that Lukashenko responded to Trump's call for Ukrainians to elect a new president, stating it is not up to Trump to decide who will lead Ukraine.
Right
7 rated outlets
- The seven right-rated reports focused on Lukashenko's statements regarding Trump's comments on Ukraine's leadership and the timing of peace. Topwar.ru reported Lukashenko's statement that Trump should not dictate who Ukraine's next president is, adding that Zelensky should have left office. Anadolu Ajansı and Interfax.ru reported Lukashenko's statement that Trump should not dictate what Ukraine should do and that it is not Trump's decision to be the president of Ukraine, respectively. EADaily and vz.ru reported Lukashenko's prediction that peace in Ukraine will be achieved soon, either this year or next. News-pravda.com also reported Lukashenko's prediction of peace this year or next. Korrespondent.net reported Lukashenko criticised Trump for his statements about replacing Zelensky, stating Ukrainians must determine their own political future.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Lukashenko: Trump should not dictate Ukraine's leadership?
- Of the 11 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 18% are rated left, 18% are rated centre, 64% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 28. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Lukashenko: Trump should not dictate Ukraine's leadership left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 11 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Lukashenko: Trump should not dictate Ukraine's leadership biased?
- Lukashenko: Trump should not dictate Ukraine's leadership is one event reported by 28 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Lukashenko: Trump should not dictate Ukraine's leadership?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Lukashenko: Trump should not dictate Ukraine's leadership?
- 28 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Alexander Lukashenko say about Donald Trump's comments on Ukraine's leadership?
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that US President Donald Trump should not dictate who leads Ukraine. He asserted that the decision rests with the Ukrainian people and that Trump has no right to tell Ukraine how to proceed.
- Can Ukraine hold presidential elections under martial law?
- According to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Ukraine cannot legally hold presidential elections while martial law is in effect. Ukrainian laws prohibit national elections during such periods.
- What did Lukashenko predict about the war in Ukraine?
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko predicted that peace in Ukraine would be achieved either this year or next year. He suggested that prolonging the conflict would make the situation more difficult for Kyiv.
Read it at the source
28 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2Centre
2Right
7- Lukashenka: Trump Should Not Dictate Who Is to Be Ukraine's Next President (opens topwar.ru in a new tab)
topwar.ru — is topwar.ru biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- 'Trump Shouldn't Be Dictating What Ukraine Should Do, 'Says Belarusian President (opens Anadolu Ajansı in a new tab)
Anadolu Ajansı — is Anadolu Ajansı biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Lukashenko Criticized Trump for Making an Application to Change Zelensky. (opens Korrespondent.net in a new tab)
Korrespondent.net — is Korrespondent.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Peace in Ukraine Will Soon Come (opens EADaily in a new tab)
EADaily — is EADaily biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Lukashenko Predicted the Achievement of Peace in Ukraine Next Year (opens vz.ru in a new tab)
- Lukashenko Noted that It Was Not Trump's Decision to Be the President of Ukraine. (opens Interfax.ru in a new tab)
Interfax.ru — is Interfax.ru biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Lukashenko: Peace in Ukraine will be achieved next year, if not this year (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
17- "Ukraine Must Decide" - Lukashenko Goes Against Trump (opens Marcus Oscarsson in a new tab)
Marcus Oscarsson — is Marcus Oscarsson biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Lukashenko Surprised. This Is About Trump's Loud Words About Zelensky. (opens wprost in a new tab)
- Lukashenko: Trump "Don't Dictate" Who Will Be the President of Ukraine (opens tvrain.tv in a new tab)
- Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko Criticizes Trump for Pressure on Kiev, but Admits that Zelenski Depends on the US (opens Gândul in a new tab)
- Lukashenko's Surprising Statement: "Trump Shouldn't Dictate What Ukraine Should do." (opens rmf24.pl in a new tab)
- Lukashenka Says Peace Will Come Soon – "I Am Completely Convinced" (opens KSML.fi – Keskisuomalainen in a new tab)
KSML.fi – Keskisuomalainen — is KSML.fi – Keskisuomalainen biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Lukashenko and Peskov Defended Zelensky From Trump (opens Actualno.com in a new tab)
Actualno.com — is Actualno.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Lukashenko Defended Zelensky and Criticized Trump's Words (opens Polsat News in a new tab)
Polsat News — is Polsat News biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 9 more
- Lukashenko Said that It Is Not for Trump to Decide Who to Be President of Ukraine (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Lukashenko Declared the Exhaustion of Russia and Named the Timing of the End of the War (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Lukashenko Opposed Trump's Demand for Zelensky's Resignation, Stressing the Right of the Ukrainian People to Self-Determination (opens 1news.com.ua in a new tab)
1news.com.ua — is 1news.com.ua biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Lukashenko: Trump nuk mund të diktojë kush e udhëheq Ukrainën, vendos populli ukrainas (opens Javanews.al in a new tab)
Javanews.al — is Javanews.al biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Lukashenko Began to Intimidate Ukraine: What He Published This Time (opens ТСН.ua in a new tab)
- Lukashenko: Peace in Ukraine Will Be Achieved, if Not in This Way, Next Year (opens belta.by in a new tab)
- "Then It Won't Be Possible": Lukashenko Warned Ukraine About the Consequences of Giving up Peace in 2026-2027. (opens Life.ru in a new tab)
- “There Will Be Peace. If Not This Year, Then Next year.” Lukashenko Announced the Exhaustion of the Russian Federation (opens reform.news in a new tab)
reform.news — is reform.news biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Why No President of Ukraine Will Suit Trump (opens Unknown in a new tab)
UnknownOpinion
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