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"On Point"
MINSK, 10 December (BelTA) – Minsk is the most suitable venue for Ukraine negotiations, Bulgarian political analyst Plamen Paskov said in the latest episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA’s YouTube channel.
“Talk of peace negotiations has recently intensified and they say that two Vladimirs [Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky] might meet in Budapest. Both Viktor Orbán and Péter Szijjártó [the prime minister and foreign minister of Hungary] say that active preparations are underway. But I immediately said that if there is to be another meeting between the two Vladimirs, it could only happen either in Türkiye or in Minsk,” Plamen Paskov noted.
The political analyst, discussing Budapest as a potential negotiation venue, pointed out that it might be problematic for Vladimir Putin to reach Hungary. Traveling there by air would require flying over several countries that are not friendly to Russia. This casts doubt on the prospects for holding Ukraine negotiations in Budapest, according to Plamen Paskov.
“When I thought about possible venue, Türkiye and Belarus immediately came to mind. Both Vladimirs can travel there safely,” he emphasized. “If not Türkiye or Belarus, then Mongolia or China could be options. Or Anchorage as a last resort, but it is too far from Ukraine. Beijing is a theoretical possibility. Mongolia is too 'exotic' an option.”
The political analyst expressed the view that Belarus is indeed the most suitable platform for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. He believes that representatives of the two Slavic nations would find it much easier to reach an agreement on the territory of a third Slavic country. “There's a monument 'Three Sisters' that I've seen. If these two sisters cannot resolve their issue at the third sister's place...” Plamen Paskov added.
Furthermore, the analyst believes that U.S. President Donald Trump would want to attend a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, acting as a kind of mediator. The problem here, however, is that the “hawks” from the U.S. Democratic Party might oppose holding negotiations in Minsk. “Trump would be heavily criticized ahead of the primaries. He would think three times before agreeing to come to Minsk,” Plamen Paskov said.
Earlier, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterated Minsk’s readiness to host the negotiations on Ukraine again.
“Should you wish to come back to Minsk again (and it would be a suitable venue), you know we are always ready. As for Ukraine, we are often criticized… You see, we are in dialogue with both the Western countries and the USA. When they bring this up, I ask them if they know that we [the peoples of Belarus and Russia] are the closest of kin. Our actions are legally grounded, we are allies, after all,” Aleksandr Lukashenko,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the time.
The political analyst, discussing Budapest as a potential negotiation venue, pointed out that it might be problematic for Vladimir Putin to reach Hungary. Traveling there by air would require flying over several countries that are not friendly to Russia. This casts doubt on the prospects for holding Ukraine negotiations in Budapest, according to Plamen Paskov.
“When I thought about possible venue, Türkiye and Belarus immediately came to mind. Both Vladimirs can travel there safely,” he emphasized. “If not Türkiye or Belarus, then Mongolia or China could be options. Or Anchorage as a last resort, but it is too far from Ukraine. Beijing is a theoretical possibility. Mongolia is too 'exotic' an option.”
The political analyst expressed the view that Belarus is indeed the most suitable platform for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. He believes that representatives of the two Slavic nations would find it much easier to reach an agreement on the territory of a third Slavic country. “There's a monument 'Three Sisters' that I've seen. If these two sisters cannot resolve their issue at the third sister's place...” Plamen Paskov added.
Furthermore, the analyst believes that U.S. President Donald Trump would want to attend a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, acting as a kind of mediator. The problem here, however, is that the “hawks” from the U.S. Democratic Party might oppose holding negotiations in Minsk. “Trump would be heavily criticized ahead of the primaries. He would think three times before agreeing to come to Minsk,” Plamen Paskov said.
Earlier, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterated Minsk’s readiness to host the negotiations on Ukraine again.
“Should you wish to come back to Minsk again (and it would be a suitable venue), you know we are always ready. As for Ukraine, we are often criticized… You see, we are in dialogue with both the Western countries and the USA. When they bring this up, I ask them if they know that we [the peoples of Belarus and Russia] are the closest of kin. Our actions are legally grounded, we are allies, after all,” Aleksandr Lukashenko,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the time.
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