MINSK, 24 February (BelTA) – At a special meeting with the military on 24 February Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko unveiled some details of his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the situation in Ukraine, BelTA has learned.
The Belarusian head of state recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had authorized a special military operation in the Donbass. Early this morning the leaders of Belarus and Russia discussed the developments in this region in a telephone conversation. “He provided me with all the details of the situation and, most importantly, the ongoing developments. According to him, the purpose of the operation is clear: to stop the genocide of the people in Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.
According to the Belarusian president, after the joint military drills, some Russian troops remained in the territory of Belarus. He explained why such a decision was made: “it was done to avoid insinuations: during the last meeting with Putin in Moscow, I personally suggested leaving a certain number of Russian troops in the south of Belarus. Why? I am not ashamed to say that we were not ready to protect the southern border in this situation, since Ukrainian troops (military units, not border guards) advanced to the border and began to conduct maneuvers there. We saw this, but we never had troops there. Therefore, I suggested leaving a small part [of Russian troops] there, at the southern border, until we replace them with our Armed Forces,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
“Putin agreed. That is what he said: “You are right, we should leave them. This will be another reason for crazy politicians in Ukraine to draw some conclusions. Maybe they will realize that they need to sit down at the negotiating table and talk about peace. Fraternal peoples should not fight.” That is what we agreed on. We did not discuss preparations for any war against Ukraine. I emphasize once again: it was done to prompt, as he said, the Ukrainians, the leadership and politicians of Ukraine, to once again draw conclusions and understand that these issues must be addressed at the negotiating table,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
