Belarus leader accuses US and its allies of fueling protests

MOSCOW (AP) — Belarus' authoritarian leader accused the United States and its allies of fomenting massive demonstrations against his rule, a claim echoed Wednesday by Russia's intelligence chief.

In a long speech to top officials, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ranted against the alleged U.S.-led plan to destabilize the country and claimed that American allies in Europe have participated in the effort that took years to prepare.

Protesters in Belarus have flooded streets for a sixth week, denouncing Lukashenko's landslide reelection in the Aug. 9 vote as rigged and demanding an end to his 26-year iron-fist rule.

The U.S. and the European Union have criticized the election as neither free nor fair, and urged Lukashenko to start talks with the opposition — a call he has rejected.

“We had the vote and got the result, period,” Lukashenko said in Wednesday's speech before top officials. “It's time to stop stirring up society.”

Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, claimed in a statement carried by Russian news agencies Wednesday that the U.S. has funded the Belarusian opposition and encouraged the protests.

Naryshkin added that his agency has information that “the U.S. is playing a key role in the current developments in Belarus.” He alleged that the U.S. has earmarked tens of millions of dollars to finance Belarus' opposition groups, but provided no evidence.

The U.S. Embassy in Minsk had no immediate comment.

In Wednesday's speech, Lukashenko charged that the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine have helped fuel protests. All those countries have denied similar claims by Lukashenko in the past.

“The Belarusian 2020 scenario is a combination of the most effective ‘color’ destabilization technologies...