MINSK, 31 October (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on possible peaceful solutions of the conflict in Ukraine as he spoke at the 2nd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security on 31 October, BelTA has learned.
“My recent contacts with intelligent representatives of the 'civilized West' suggest that we have a certain tilt. The West has finally realized that it is necessary to negotiate in Ukraine. In sporting terms, it is still possible to end it in a draw today,” the Belarusian leader said.
He added, however, that the situation on the ground is changing every day.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, as for the potential peace talks today, it is a matter of one person only - Vladimir Zelensky, who has ambitions, while the war is going on in his country. Meanwhile, the West wants to save face in this situation. “It cannot do like it was done in Afghanistan,” the president said. “They cannot leave like that. They promised Vladimir Zelensky to give certain support in the form of weapons, ammunition and help Ukraine until the last Ukrainian dies. They want to save face.”
“First of all, the military [in Ukraine] want to finish this massacre,” the Belarusian leader said. “Ukraine will not win on the battlefield. The Ukrainians realize it, as well as the West. There is a need to start negotiations. Thousands of innocent people from both sides die every day.”
The president drew attention to the danger of the current moment - there is a threat of escalation of the conflict. In particular, Ukraine is deliberately inflating the issue of North Korean military participation in the conflict in order to, as the head of state noted, “finally put pressure on the European Union and introduce NATO troops into the conflict, otherwise there will be a defeat.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that it was important for all the parties to the conflict to sit down at the negotiating table without preconditions. The document developed earlier in Istanbul may well become the main one for them, the president believes. Of course, this document will be changed in the course of negotiations, but “why not start with it,” he added.
Recently, it has become a habit for Western countries to emphasize the causes of the conflict, blaming only one side for everything. “Today the issue is not about the causes,” the head of state said. “We will deal with the causes later. We need to start solving the issue at the negotiating table. Then it would be possible to stop the hostilities under certain conditions. Then it would be possible to withdraw troops from the battle line. Everything is possible. Then we will talk about the causes.”
