MINSK, 26 February (BelTA) – Belarus is ready to provide a venue for peaceful negotiations on settling the conflict in Ukraine, BelTA learned from Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 26 February.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “We are open. They can come today. We will provide everything and will help in this regard in order to prevent a war and slaughter. It is still a conflict for now. A conflict in the inflammation stage. It has to be stopped. You know our stance. I spoke about it on the first day.”
He went on saying: “I suggested [a negotiation venue] on the first day. They were supposed to come the next day. Vladimir Putin called me and said… Well, various games are being played over there. Some want Warsaw and some America. Listen, Kiev is virtually surrounded while they keep prating. People are dying while they keep prating! But you heard the view of the president of Russia yesterday, it was expressed. He talked to me about it. I told him: the door is open, they are welcome to come to any location, even to the Palace of Independence. We will provide everything: we will welcome them, talk to them, show them, and tell them. And full security. Feel free to come.”
The president stressed that it is necessary to stop this conflict while it is still possible. “Tomorrow it will be a war and the day after tomorrow it will be slaughter. This is why if they are smart, all kinds of crazy, they should make the decision and start negotiations. Since Russia encourages them for the third time in the last few days and gives consent and they already accept the conditions Russia has suggested today, why do they have to take things slowly? People are dying after all! It is the first consideration. And then nobody may want negotiations tomorrow. The winning country (you probably don't doubt what may happen) may simply be unwilling to talk to anyone,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. “This is why madmen! And it seems to me there are still forces, which encourage this regime [in Ukraine] and push them to keep fighting, promising that bandits from Afghanistan and from the Middle East will come to help soon. And there are plenty of private military companies of their own. Those are professional soldiers, professional murderers. If they become involved, you can imagine what will happen in Ukraine. This is why neither Russia nor Belarus wants that. It is even more dangerous for us.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also pointed out that attempts are being made to portray Belarus as a warring party. “Everyone from Japan to America is trying to attach us to this war. Sanctions against us are being announced already. If I am not mistaken, this gang (as Putin put it) from the International Olympic Committee has made some statement and went nearly as far as saying we fight in this war. Well, they'd been looking for a reason. It is clear they got an overseas phone call, which told them what to do. So they start acting. But we will endure. Preventing people from getting killed is what matters. Those are close and dear people to us, a close and dear country,” the president concluded.
