Photo courtesy of TASS
MINSK, 8 August (BelTA) – In an interview with TIME Magazine, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke about the assistance being provided to both Russia and Ukraine to facilitate exchanges, BelTA reports.
Several questions during the interview addressed the beginning of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and the events of February 2022, though the president had spoken on this subject multiple times before. Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that a large-scale joint military exercise with Russia was being conducted on Belarusian territory in February 2022. “The exercise ended. It’d taken place at southern ranges near Brest and Baranovichi. They [Russian troops] began withdrawing. Picture this: Gomel, the southern sector [of Belarus]. Some by air, but mostly via rail – right along the Ukrainian border, practically. Then at some point they turned south, to the right, and entered Ukraine during this withdrawal,” the president said.
“Those were troops from Russia’s Eastern Military District – from the Far East. I asked: ‘Why would Russian forces move toward eastern Russia via Kiev? Why was Putin routing them back to Russia through Kiev?’ That’s a question for both Zelensky and Putin,” the Belarusian leader said.
The head of state explained that when planning such serious military operations, the circle of informed individuals is extremely small – and he was not among them. “When an operation begins, only a handful of General Staff officers know the details: the when, the how, the troop numbers. Yes, plans may be drafted in advance. And they are drafted in advance. But the actual timing? That’s known only to them,” the president remarked. “No one, except a few people, could be privy to these plans. So regarding the fact that I wasn’t informed and so on, I took it calmly. Especially since this wasn’t a joint operation. If the general staffs had been working on some operation together – that would be a different matter,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
He pointed out that in February 2022 – even before the start of the special military operation – the situation in Donbass had deteriorated sharply, prompting Russia to organize bus evacuations of civilians. At the time, the Belarusian president was visiting Russia and, during discussions with President Vladimir Putin, was in the know about these developments. As Aleksandr Lukashenko recounted, Vladimir Putin had expressed concerns about aggressive Western actions at that time. “For some reason, he feared a Western ‘stab in the back’ though he never mentioned it [plans for the SMO]. But he said: ‘If things escalate in Ukraine, Donbass, and so on, they might strike us from behind.’ I responded: ‘You needn’t worry about that. That’s my area of responsibility. I won’t allow anyone to shoot Russians in the back.’ And I’ve stated this publicly, quite frankly,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
According to him, there was no premonition at that time that this would escalate into such a serious confrontation. Although the Americans had forewarned Ukraine about what might happen in February 2022. “They warned the Ukrainians about it in detail throughout the week – I remember this. But they either didn’t believe it or only half-believed. We didn’t believe it at all,” the president said.
It is well known that from the very beginning of the conflict, Belarus and its leader have maintained a consistent position – the parties must come to the negotiating table and find peaceful solutions. For its part, Belarus has made every effort to facilitate this and continues to insist on returning to dialogue. Regrettably, the active phase of hostilities persists. Yet even in this situation, the opposing sides maintain communication channels.
“I am certain these discussions involve intelligence services from both sides, supplemented by the military and civilian representatives – including parliamentarians, commissioners for human rights and children’s rights, and other stakeholders. All technical negotiations take place on Belarusian soil – under my supervision. After all, Ukrainians are dear to me, and so are Russians – they’re our kin. I want everything to go well. And where they cannot meet directly, Belarusians step in to mediate,” the president said.
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