MOSCOW, 14 March (BelTA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, but the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States needs to be clarified, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview with TV presenter Olga Skabeyeva for the Rossiya 1 TV channel, BelTA learned.
The head of state was asked how he understood Vladimir Putin's statement whether Russia agreed to the 30-day ceasefire or not. “He listened to what the envoy had to say yesterday [US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Moscow]. He will tell me what he thinks of it. I'll be seeing him. We will have dinner and talk through the night as usual. We will talk over this issue too. Well, I know where he stands. Yesterday he said more [in his statements to the media after the Belarusian-Russian talks in the Kremlin] than he was going to, including on the 30-day proposal. The question is: what and how? He asked these rhetorical questions,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “I know that his main wish is to stop all this!”
According to the head of state, the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States is not a novelty in itself. But it is important how it will be implemented. “Vladimir Vladimirovich is right. A ceasefire is good; the parties stop shooting, killing each other. The question is what Ukraine is going to do in the meantime? Ukrainians may raise the same question: what will the Russians be doing? They will have more difficulty to monitor things in Russia. The military-industrial complex will keep producing tanks, shells, ammunition. They will not deploy them to the frontline. They will keep them in warehouses. Who will prohibit that? No one. The question is how Ukraine and the West will monitor these things,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Another question is arms deliveries to Ukraine during this month-long truce. “In the meantime, Poland has accumulated a certain number of weapons, ammunition in Rzeszów. Trump has announced that the USA is lifting all sorts of restrictions on ammunition supplies. Are they going to send weapons and mercenaries there during this 30-day ceasefire? Will the fight resume anew then? More people will die. Nobody knows what else may happen. Therefore, there are still a lot of questions about this ceasefire,” the head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko reiterated that the USA had no clear plan for Ukraine. “They are exploring some things, testing the waters. Something of the kind. As a result, they, the USA, want to craft some plan of action,” he said. “There are no specifics. These trips of high-ranking U.S. representatives and the special envoy prove that they are testing the waters, coordinating issues with Ukraine, with Russia in order to draw up some plan of action. It is not going to be easy.”
The head of state was asked how he understood Vladimir Putin's statement whether Russia agreed to the 30-day ceasefire or not. “He listened to what the envoy had to say yesterday [US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Moscow]. He will tell me what he thinks of it. I'll be seeing him. We will have dinner and talk through the night as usual. We will talk over this issue too. Well, I know where he stands. Yesterday he said more [in his statements to the media after the Belarusian-Russian talks in the Kremlin] than he was going to, including on the 30-day proposal. The question is: what and how? He asked these rhetorical questions,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “I know that his main wish is to stop all this!”
According to the head of state, the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States is not a novelty in itself. But it is important how it will be implemented. “Vladimir Vladimirovich is right. A ceasefire is good; the parties stop shooting, killing each other. The question is what Ukraine is going to do in the meantime? Ukrainians may raise the same question: what will the Russians be doing? They will have more difficulty to monitor things in Russia. The military-industrial complex will keep producing tanks, shells, ammunition. They will not deploy them to the frontline. They will keep them in warehouses. Who will prohibit that? No one. The question is how Ukraine and the West will monitor these things,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Another question is arms deliveries to Ukraine during this month-long truce. “In the meantime, Poland has accumulated a certain number of weapons, ammunition in Rzeszów. Trump has announced that the USA is lifting all sorts of restrictions on ammunition supplies. Are they going to send weapons and mercenaries there during this 30-day ceasefire? Will the fight resume anew then? More people will die. Nobody knows what else may happen. Therefore, there are still a lot of questions about this ceasefire,” the head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko reiterated that the USA had no clear plan for Ukraine. “They are exploring some things, testing the waters. Something of the kind. As a result, they, the USA, want to craft some plan of action,” he said. “There are no specifics. These trips of high-ranking U.S. representatives and the special envoy prove that they are testing the waters, coordinating issues with Ukraine, with Russia in order to draw up some plan of action. It is not going to be easy.”
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