MINSK, 29 August (BelTA) - While the OSCE is inactive, another organization could become the key to peace and stability in Europe, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview with China Media Group, BelTA has learned.
One of the topics of the interview was the situation in Ukraine and the possibility of resolving the conflict. It was noted that the Ukrainian crisis has also prompted reflection on how to create a more balanced, effective, and sustainable European security architecture. The president was asked what he believes is the key to long-term peace and stability in Europe.
“Security must be indivisible; it must be common for us Europeans. Everyone, from Belarus and Russia to England, Germany, and others, should play their role in this security system. Perhaps with the participation of a leading country, the United States of America,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
On this point, he recalled the existence of the OSCE - the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe - which, besides European states, also includes the USA and Canada. “This is the most critical moment [for European security now], and yet this organization is neither heard nor seen. It would be necessary for the heads of state to gather and to seriously discuss what is happening here,” the president reasonably noted.
“Therefore, what is needed is not just a diplomatic organization, but a military-political organization,” the head of state is convinced. “Most importantly, security guarantees are needed in this process. It is necessary to agree: here are the security guarantees, and if they are violated, the response will be such-and-such.”
However, as the president noted, there was bitter experience in history when such guarantees existed on paper but did not work in practice. “When we in Budapest concluded the treaty on the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from the territory of Ukraine and Belarus, Kazakhstan and concentrated our weapons in one country (now the Russian Federation), then strong countries gave us guarantees: both the USA, and the UK, and Russia, and so on. Well, so what? All of that was forgotten. Therefore, it is necessary to reach an agreement now. Everything that will happen afterwards will depend on us, on our policy, on everyone on the European continent, and not only on the European one,” the Belarusian leader said.
The journalist, speaking about the crisis in Ukraine during the interview, noted that on 15 August, Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Alaska, and Aleksandr Lukashenko held telephone conversations with both heads of state on 15 and 17 August. The Belarusian head of state was asked if his assessment of the situation in Ukraine had changed after this.
“We are closer than ever to ending this conflict and negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine,” the Belarusian leader said.
He said that he completely disagreed with the conclusions and assessments expressed by journalists and various “specialists” on the talks in Alaska, claiming that Putin gained more and Trump less, or that, as some rudely say, Putin brought Trump down there, and that Trump lost… “If you don't understand basic diplomacy, then you shouldn't make judgments. These are different people, different positions,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
He explained that Vladimir Putin represented one of the sides in the conflict, and Donald Trump was a mediator between the conflicting parties, learning the position of Russia. “What could Trump gain from this? He is criticized everywhere for becoming a mediator. He should be thanked for that,” the president is confident. “He clarified Russia's position in this conflict. He understood what Russia wants. But he did not speak about it, as he is not a party to the conflict. What was discussed is specifics that Presidents Putin and Zelensky, the conflicting parties, will talk about.”
“Trump is a mediator. He listened to one side, asked many questions to Putin, and received answers, understanding Russia's position. Regardless of how you look at it, Russia's position is more important for future peace than Ukraine's,” the head of state stressed explaining his position that Russia is dominant on the front.
“This is extremely dangerous for Ukraine. Ukraine needs to stop today; it must conclude peace agreements to avoid losing Ukraine altogether,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
According to him, Donald Trump deserves gratitude for taking on the role of a mediator and for striving to end the conflict. He may not be happy for taking this on thinking that establishing peace was an easy thing. “I warned the Americans word for word when they were here long before these negotiations. I said: “Tell Trump that he cannot back down now”. He has taken on this problem, and he must solve it. And he can solve it, and he is trying to do so,” the president said.
Following negotiations with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump held a meeting in Washington with EU leaders and Vladimir Zelensky, outlining to them the essence of recent developments.
“And the Europeans are eager to join these talks. Nothing can happen without us, they say,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
In this regard, the president recalled how in February 2015, on the initiative of major European countries, the leaders of Germany and France came to Minsk, and negotiations of the Normandy Four format on settling the crisis in Ukraine took place. “Who prevented them from establishing lasting peace?” the head of state asked rhetorically. “They later admitted they did not come to establish peace, but to give Ukraine a chance to rearm. Well then, why are you getting offended today that Trump isn't inviting you? What do you need to be there for? You already tried once. The USA did not intervene then, although I said that without the USA, there would be no peace. The USA needs to be involved. They did not involve it. They decided to establish peace on their own. They failed, and they did it intentionally, deceiving Russia. Therefore, Trump is absolutely right when he took this on, the USA took it on directly by itself and is trying to promote peace agreements. I think this is sincere.”
Although Aleksandr Lukashenko did not rule out that it was beneficial for the USA when the Europeans acted as hawks. This showed both Putin and others how difficult it was for Trump to fight for peace and bringing the positions of Ukraine and Russia closer, while the Europeans were opposing this.
The head of state is confident that much will depend on how well Ukraine understands the real state of affairs: “One must still proceed from reality, so as not to lose more, so as not to lose the whole of Ukraine.”
Now, according to him, certain steps are being taken to achieve peace, and, naturally, one would like to accelerate this process. But this is far from always the case. “This requires time. Calmly, in order to figure things out and at least stop shooting at each other, stop striking. Once the military stops at the line of contact, at the front, stop shooting at each other, people will stop dying, as is happening now, then one can talk about peace, and about the post-war structure, and about rare-earth metals - one can talk about anything, there will be time for that. But it is better, of course, to make peace, if it works out,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Follow us on:
