MOSCOW, 11 April (BelTA) - Without Russia's participation in the negotiations on Ukraine, no peace process is viable, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 11 April, BelTA has learned.
The head of state noted that during their recent meetings, the parties have always discussed the situation in Ukraine, including the possibility of a peaceful settlement.
"If they want to talk about peace in Ukraine in Switzerland (they call it a peace conference) without us, they are welcome. Our position is that they can only agree on ways to escalate the conflict. Without Russia, what kind of peace process can there be? There can be no peace process," Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
"Maybe they are right not to invite us there. What can we talk about with them if they are trying to gather more than a hundred states there and dictate something to us? This is not a proposal for peace talks," the Belarusian president noted.
Vladimir Putin, in turn, noted that the opposing side "drove itself into a corner, to a certain extent, when it refused to negotiate in the hope of defeating Russia on the battlefield, inflicting a strategic defeat on it."
"Now they understand that this is impossible. They refused to negotiate. Now they are in a rather difficult situation," the Russian leader said.
"But our goal is not to put everyone in a difficult position. On the contrary, we are ready to work constructively. They cannot impose any position that is not based on realities," Vladimir Putin stressed.
Photos courtesy of the press service of the Russian president - BelTA
