The largest trade partners for Belarus are: Russia, Ukraine, Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, China (imports), Lithuania, and Italy (imports). The EU can

The largest trade partners for Belarus are: Russia, Ukraine, Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, China (imports), Lithuania, and Italy (imports). The EU can severely damage the economy of Belarus by cutting off all trade and financial ties. And then work with the US to essentially destroy the country economically by cutting it off to nearly all global trade and financing. The only thing left to prop it up would be Russia and some Chinese imports; it would make Belarus a hermit state economically. All the US has to do is say: we'll sanction any bank, corporation or person that does business with Belarus. Most will instantly capitulate, just as they did with Iran. If the US asks Britain, Poland and Ukraine to suspend all trade ties to Belarus, they'll do it. Combine that with the EU members, and Belarus no longer functions in terms of having access to the global economy. The downside to smashing Belarus in such a way, which would be very easy to do, is that it'll just throw Belarus into the hands of Russia entirely. Lukashenko knows that context with the West and has been playing the angles for a long time accordingly.