Follow live the latest news about the war in Ukraine
He says that “there can be no negotiations without Belarus” and reveals that “soon” he will meet with Putin
MADRID, 7 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has demanded this Thursday to participate in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace agreement and has stressed that “there can be no negotiations without Belarus.”
“I want to present our position today for the first time. This position has been presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has orders to apply it,” he said. “Since mainly Western countries have brought us into this, Belarus’s position must be present during the talks,” he explained.
Thus, he has rejected that Minsk “is put in the same basket as Russia” and has stressed that the Belarusian authorities “act in line with the fact that the war is just on the other side of the border and seriously affects the situation in Belarus “, as reported by the BelTA news agency.
“That is why there can be no separate agreements behind Belarus. I am absolutely convinced that Russia understands this position and there is nothing wrong with it, but it will go against Western designs. It does not mean that we should dance to the tune of the West.” , he stressed.
Likewise, he has revealed that he will hold a meeting “soon” with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, without providing a specific date. “We will soon meet with the Russian leadership, with the president of Russia. I would like to know what problems need to be resolved at the level of presidents,” he said.
On the other hand, Lukashenko has warned Ukraine that Western countries will not help the country’s reconstruction “selflessly.” “They are sadly wrong. If they have to build and rebuild in Ukraine, it will not be for the Ukrainian people. It will be something owned by the country that rebuilds it,” he argued.
“There is a great danger that there will be nothing Ukrainian left in Ukraine. Not even oligarchs. Everything will be dominated by oligarchs from the United States and other big countries of the European Union,” he said. “I have said it for a long time. The three Slavic countries should recognize what is happening worldwide, sit down and reach an agreement as equals,” the Belarusian president stressed.