Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has accused the Ukrainian government of rejecting peace talks with Russia and warned that without dialogue, Ukraine risks «complete destruction» from the conflict that erupted in February.
«Everything is in Ukraine’s hands,» said Lukashenko, a key ally in the conflict of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he has in recent months strengthened military collaboration, according to statements in Yerevan reported by the BelTA agency.
The Belarusian president has recognized that, for Kiev, it can be «hard, difficult, painful», but «they have to do it if they want to recover». «Otherwise, it will lead to a complete destruction of Ukraine,» he warned.
For Lukashenko, «peace talks are inevitable», although the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, has made it clear in recent months that he will not sit down to negotiate as long as Putin continues to pull the strings and Russia has not withdrawn its troops from Ukraine.
The Belarusian president believes that «Europe has finally opened its eyes» and can put pressure on Kiev to accept dialogue, given that war is «at their doorstep» and the conflict could end up costing the jobs of leaders such as France’s Emmanuel Macron or Germany’s Olaf Scholz.
