MOSCOW: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko supplied in an interview revealed on Wednesday (Mar 5) to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks that might contain United States officers.
“Inform (US President Donald) Trump that I count on him right here with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy,” Lukashenko proposed in a video interview with US blogger Mario Nawfal reported by state information company Belta.
Lukashenko is an in depth Putin ally and his nation is below US and European sanctions over its assist for Russia’s army motion in Ukraine and a authorities crackdown on the opposition. Russia used Belarusian territory to ship some troops into Ukraine in 2022.
However the 70-year-old president went on: “We’re going to sit down and calmly make an accord. If you wish to make an accord.”
Lukashenko mentioned there needed to be an accord with Zelenskyy “since a big a part of Ukrainian society is with him”.
“There may be solely 200km between the Belarus frontier and Kyiv. Half an hour in a aircraft. Come,” he declared within the interview recorded on Feb 27.
Lukashenko praised Trump’s efforts to speak with Russia and finish the three-year-old battle.
“Trump is an efficient man, he talks about it rather a lot and has already accomplished one thing to finish the battle in Ukraine and the battle within the Center East,” Lukashenko mentioned.
“It appears to me that his solely coverage is one aiming to finish the battle. It’s a good concept.”
The discharge of the interview got here after Trump mentioned on Tuesday that Zelenskyy had instructed him he was prepared for talks on a “lasting peace” with Russia.
Trump’s Washington assembly with Zelenskyy on Friday was an offended showdown and strain has mounted on Zelenskyy after Trump ordered the suspension of US army assist to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has since posted on social media that the conflict was “regrettable” and he needed “to make issues proper” with the US chief.
