MOSCOW, 22 April (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with President of Russia Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on 22 April and made a few comments in response to Ukraine's proposals to move negotiations on Donbass from Minsk to some other place, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko reminded that President of Russia Vladimir Putin and the then president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko had initially contacted him with a request to organize a negotiation platform in Belarus. Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “Everyone, who was present then, contacted me and said it was necessary to organize one. I said it will be done. If they don't like it today, they are free to choose any other country. But one should bear in mind that they will need a consensus of those, who made the suggestions back in the day [negotiating sides].”
Aleksandr Lukashenko added that if the presidents of Russia and Ukraine and other parties, which are involved in the process, make the relevant decision, then certainly the trilateral contact group on Donbass will work somewhere else.
“As they say, one less thing to worry about. This is why by all means. We are not particularly worried about these statements. Although they made statements first and then refuted them. Allegedly the president refused to even discuss this problem. Totally absurd. There is nothing to discuss…” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
Vladimir Putin responded: “Belarus simply offered us a platform and does not interfere with the process at all. In no way. Belarus simply enabled conditions for those, who want to find ways to resolve the problem. If someone doesn't want to do it, then certainly one can always find reasons not to work in this very important sphere, in my opinion. It seems they are looking for ways to avoid discussions about the Donbass problem.”
“And ways to bury the Minsk agreements,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.
