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MINSK, 13 March (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has commented on the 30-day ceasefire proposal in Ukraine, BelTA has learned.
When asked whether this is a ploy, the president said: “No, they will not fool us, they will not fool Russia. Ploys were all around. They deceived us and did other things. It is time for us to smarten up. Today or tomorrow, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] will discuss it with Trump's representatives. There are a lot of issues on the agenda in addition to the 30-day ceasefire. There should be a comprehensive solution encompassing all the issues. No, this is not a trick, and will not be a trick, because we know what we need. They know what we want. Therefore, no tricks. The other side needs to arrange it in a way that will guarantee that it will not be used as a ploy. If a ceasefire is agreed on, it means that everything stops and there are no moves. But most likely, the Ukrainians will not agree to this,” the head of state said.
“I can say for sure that the USA has no plan for Ukraine. Absolutely none (maybe some general idea; they do want to end the war). What are they doing? They are testing the waters. We will talk about this today. Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin, Russian President] will share details of the talks in Saudi Arabia with me. They are testing the waters: What does this party want? What does that party want? They push one side, it gives way. They try to push the other one and see that it is unlikely to cave in,” the head of state said.
“Can they pressure Russia? We discussed the matter long time ago. Will Donald come, slam his fist on the table and everything will end? Or will they impose sanctions? They have already imposed so many sanctions that there is simply no room for more,” the Belarusian leader said.
“That's why they put pressure on Ukraine, as it has no cards. They agreed to 30 days. They said that they agreed to 30 days. If these 30 days [reference to a ceasefire] are agreed upon, Russia's economy will keep functioning, the defense industry will keep working, they will be producing weapons and so on. Well, okay, they won't take them to the front, they'll store them all up. And there shouldn't be any movement in Ukraine. Because they receive weapons from abroad. As soon as this is spotted, it will be considered a violation,” the Belarusian head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko supposes that Ukraine may not agree to this: “They think that the Russians will reject it. And they will have this card that Trump talked about. In other words, there is still so much mess to sort out that we should not hurry.”
In a conversation with journalists, the president advised not to fall for Donald Trump's tricks: “Because he is your man - he is a media person, he can say one thing in the morning and make a U-turn in the evening and mislead us and you. Therefore, here is my advice to you: give us only facts! And the reality on the ground is such that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, Kursk Oblast will be liberated completely.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also noted that the Ukrainians are not doing well on the front, including in the Pokrovsk area.
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