Belarus President Lukashenko says he is doing "everything" to end the Ukraine conflict
Key Takeaways :
- Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko stated that he is doing "everything" to end the two-month-long conflict in Ukraine.
- Lukashenko's comments come two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of not taking peace talks seriously enough to end the conflict.
In an exclusive discussion with The Associated Press (AP) on Thursday, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko stated he was doing "everything" to end the conflict in Ukraine, which has lasted more than two months. He also expressed his belief that Russia's "military operation" in its former Soviet neighbor would not "drag on in this direction."
"We categorically reject all wars." We have done and continue to do everything possible to avoid a war. Negotiations among Ukraine and Russia have begun, thanks to yours truly, me," Lukashenko was quoted as telling by the Associated Press.
Ukraine was "provoking Russia," he said, adding that the pro-European country was not "interested" in peace talks. "Why is Ukraine, on whose soil a war is in effect, military action is taking place, people are dying... why is Ukraine not interested in these negotiations?" In an interview with the Associated Press, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko stated.
Lukashenko's remarks come two days after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin suspected Ukraine failing to take peace talks seriously to end the conflict. Putin also said that the West must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine in discussion with French President Emmanuel Macron.
In March, Belarus hosted the 1st round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators. However, negotiations have made little progress so far, with Ukraine trying to accuse Russian troops of war crimes in the country, prompting the West to impose new sanctions on Putin's side, including energy supplies.
Belarusian military drills were announced earlier this week, causing concern in Ukraine. The drills, according to Lukashenko, pose no threat to anyone.
"We do not threaten anyone, and we will not threaten anyone in the future." Furthermore, we cannot threaten — we know who our adversaries are, so provoking a conflict or a war in the West is not in the interests of the Belarusian state. As a result, the West can rest easy," Lukashenko said.
Ukraine had earlier claimed that Russia was "attempting to destroy" its remaining troops in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant. The Ukrainian army stated that Russian occupiers in the Azovstal region were "focusing on blocking and trying to destroy Ukrainian units." A Russian-announced ceasefire began at the besieged plant, where thousands of Ukrainian troops and civilians had been holed up for weeks.