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Russian President Vladimir Putin is not trying to push Belarus to join the war in Ukraine. This is what the Belarusian authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, said in an interview published on August 17.
“To include Belarus… what would we gain? Nothing," said Lukashenko, one of Putin's closest allies.
Lukashenko also said he believes Russia has already achieved its goals in what Moscow calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine, stressing that both sides should sit down and negotiate.
According to him, Kiev and Moscow should be ready to discuss all issues, including the future of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea - which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014 - and all other territories that Moscow claims to control.
Lukashenko also said that there have been direct contacts between Ukraine and Belarus, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cut them off.
These contacts took place several months ago, including a discussion about the possibility of Belarus entering the war, on the side of Russia, Lukashenko said.
Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory to launch its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Minsk is subject to international sanctions because of the help it gives to Moscow during the invasion./REL
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