KAZAN, 23 October (BelTA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is committed to the interests of the Russian people, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he sat down for an interview with BBC’s Steven Rosenberg on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia on 23 October, BelTA has learned.
The journalist noted that Vladimir Putin's decision to launch the special military operation was a disaster for Ukraine. However, it also had serious consequences for Russia itself.
"You know Putin well, you keep in close touch with him. Does he regret that decision?" Steven Rosenberg asked.
“We did not talk about whether he regrets it or not. He is a human being. The conflict has had all kinds of twists and turns; someone is on the offensive, someone is on the defensive. Both sides are suffering heavy losses. Does Putin regret such a decision? Of course, he does, he is a human being after all," Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “But I'm absolutely convinced and rest assured of it (I'm not just convinced, I know it): Putin firmly believes that he's right, and he believes he had reasons to do it. After all, he made a proposal to the West: let's come to an agreement. To which the West did not respond at all."
According to the Belarusian head of state, if the West had not been happy with the form in which the offer was made, they should have responded in the same way. But they should have responded. By keeping silent, they showed they did not care about the interests of Russia. "Putin often says this: the main thing is the interests of Russia and the Russian people. He is committed to these interests, he is obliged to protect the interests of the Russian people, and he defends these interests. He is convinced of this. You can criticize him for this, but this is how he thinks," Aleksandr Lukashenko added.
The journalist objected that now Russia is being attacked by drones, and has part of its territory occupied by foreign troops - how can this meet the interests of Russia? The president replied that it is not known how the situation would have been if Russia had not launched the special military operation. Perhaps everything would have been even worse.
"Would it have been better for Russia if Ukraine had joined NATO and NATO had deployed its armed forces and missiles on the territory of Ukraine with an approach time of under five minutes? Would it have been better for Russia or not? Weighing everything, Putin chose this path. There were certain regrets, there were failures. Drone attacks, seizure of a part of the territory... Nobody likes this. Neither does Putin. But we are talking about the problem as a whole. Putin saw the great danger of Ukraine turning into a staging post against Russia. He took certain actions. We can only guess how things might have been," the head of state concluded.
The journalist noted that Vladimir Putin's decision to launch the special military operation was a disaster for Ukraine. However, it also had serious consequences for Russia itself.
"You know Putin well, you keep in close touch with him. Does he regret that decision?" Steven Rosenberg asked.
“We did not talk about whether he regrets it or not. He is a human being. The conflict has had all kinds of twists and turns; someone is on the offensive, someone is on the defensive. Both sides are suffering heavy losses. Does Putin regret such a decision? Of course, he does, he is a human being after all," Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “But I'm absolutely convinced and rest assured of it (I'm not just convinced, I know it): Putin firmly believes that he's right, and he believes he had reasons to do it. After all, he made a proposal to the West: let's come to an agreement. To which the West did not respond at all."
According to the Belarusian head of state, if the West had not been happy with the form in which the offer was made, they should have responded in the same way. But they should have responded. By keeping silent, they showed they did not care about the interests of Russia. "Putin often says this: the main thing is the interests of Russia and the Russian people. He is committed to these interests, he is obliged to protect the interests of the Russian people, and he defends these interests. He is convinced of this. You can criticize him for this, but this is how he thinks," Aleksandr Lukashenko added.
The journalist objected that now Russia is being attacked by drones, and has part of its territory occupied by foreign troops - how can this meet the interests of Russia? The president replied that it is not known how the situation would have been if Russia had not launched the special military operation. Perhaps everything would have been even worse.
"Would it have been better for Russia if Ukraine had joined NATO and NATO had deployed its armed forces and missiles on the territory of Ukraine with an approach time of under five minutes? Would it have been better for Russia or not? Weighing everything, Putin chose this path. There were certain regrets, there were failures. Drone attacks, seizure of a part of the territory... Nobody likes this. Neither does Putin. But we are talking about the problem as a whole. Putin saw the great danger of Ukraine turning into a staging post against Russia. He took certain actions. We can only guess how things might have been," the head of state concluded.
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