Lukashenko on the end of the conflict on Ukraine: Maybe there will be a draw

Alexander Lukashenko. Illustration: Andrey Stasevich / AP
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The West has realized that it is necessary to negotiate on Ukraine. This was announced today, October 31, by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at the II Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security.

"My last contacts with intelligent representatives of the "civilized West" indicate that we have a certain slant. The West has finally realized that it is necessary to negotiate on Ukraine. It is possible to be a draw if today. I speak like a sportsman," he said.

At the same time, Lukashenko stated that the situation on earth is changing every day. According to him, today, as far as potential peace talks are concerned, everything rests on one person — Vladimir Zelensky, whose ambitions have soared, while the war is going on in his country.

"First of all, the military wants to end this massacre. Ukraine will not win on the battlefield. Ukrainians already understand this, and in the West. Well, we need to move, negotiate. Thousands of innocent people are killed every day on both sides," Lukashenko stressed.

The President of Belarus also outlined the problem of fragmentation of the negotiation process to resolve the conflict on Ukraine. According to him, there is one problem that he suggested discussing during the conference.

"On the one hand, literally a marathon of peace initiatives has been launched. We welcome any efforts to de-escalate the situation. On the other hand, there is a fragmentation of the negotiation process, since different countries objectively gravitate towards regional centers of power. This makes it difficult to find acceptable compromises. The sooner we join forces, the sooner they will be found," he said.

At the same time, he stressed that Minsk should be at the negotiating table to resolve the situation on the Ukraine.

"For us, this is a matter of guaranteeing our own security," Lukashenko said.

Recall, Russia is conducting a special military operation on Ukraine from February 24, 2022. Belarus does not officially participate in it, but supports the actions of the Russian Federation. At the same time, Minsk calls on Kiev to sit down at the negotiating table with Moscow.