In Belarus this week, President Alexander Lukashenko made headlines by telling Energy Minister Alexei Kushnarenko about his plan to leverage the nation’s excess electricity for cryptocurrency mining, specifically Bitcoin, with the goal of building up a national reserve.

President Lukashenko’s rationale was straightforward: “Look at this mining,” he said, adding, “More and more people are turning to me. If it is profitable for us, let’s do it. We have excess electricity. Let them make this cryptocurrency and so on.”

Lukashenko also pointed to the growing acceptance of crypto mining in the United States, particularly under President Donald Trump’s apparent influence. He noted the U.S.’s move towards establishing a strategic reserve of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, quoting, “Moreover, you see the path the world is going. And especially the largest economy in the world. They announced yesterday that they will keep [Bitcoin & cryptocurrency] in reserve.”

Continuing his train of thought, Lukashenko reasoned, “Therefore, there will be demand for them. Well, maybe we should do it ourselves. Well, we attract some investors, sell them electricity, although I do not rule it out. But we need to do it ourselves. There are such proposals. I think that you will step over this bureaucracy and report what needs to be done.”

This interest from Belarus follows President Trump’s engagement with the Bitcoin mining industry last summer. Trump hosted American Bitcoin miners at Mar-a-Lago to better understand their operations and how to support them under his potential presidency. Since then, Trump has become a vocal advocate for Bitcoin mining and Bitcoin itself, clearly capturing the attention of global leaders like Lukashenko. It’s evident that other nations are starting to pay close attention.

Ever since President Trump floated the idea of a U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve at The Bitcoin Conference in Nashville last summer, governments worldwide have been considering similar moves. Now, it appears to be becoming a reality, highlighted by Trump’s recent announcement on Truth Social confirming the creation of a U.S. strategic BTC reserve.”

Further solidifying these plans, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced today his expectation that President Trump will push forward with the strategic reserve initiative at the White House’s Digital Assets Summit this Friday. With the United States, under President Trump, increasingly embracing Bitcoin, nations like Belarus are taking note and potentially signaling a broader trend of nation-state adoption of Bitcoin.