Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday he was available to host a meeting between the US and Russian counterparts to negotiate peace in Ukraine ahead of Joe Biden’s planned visit to Poland.
“I am ready to meet the president of the United States,” Lukashenko said in a conversation with foreign journalists in Minsk, quoted by the official Belarusian news agency Belta.
“Why Poland?
“Until [o Presidente russo, Vladimir] Putin was supposed to fly to Minsk for this trilateral meeting: two “aggressors” and the “peace-loving” president. Why not?” Lukashenko mocked, insisting that Biden be received in the Belarusian capital “to end the war”.
“If [Biden] want to stop the war, we will welcome you (…). We have international airports. ‘Air Force One’ can land here,” Lukashenko said, recalling that former US President Bill Clinton has already visited Belarus.
“Here, in his presence, the three of us, we can sit down and solve the problem,” he insisted.
HoweverLukashenko “regretted” that Biden did not accept the “invitation”.adding: “He should accept the invitation if he really wants to end the war, which has been going on for almost a year. On the contrary, he stays in Poland”.
And insisted: “Poland is the hyena of Europe and plays the most active role in the escalation of the war in Ukraine. Poland makes even more noise than the United States and hence the invitation to come to Minsk. We guarantee you complete safety, protection and comfort And most importantly, you won’t regret it.”
Lukashenko maintained the idea of the invitation throughout the meeting with the foreign press, asking journalists to convey to Biden that if he does not accept, “he will tell the world that he does not want peace”.
He also left the door open to help Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I guarantee that I will be able to convince President Putin to fly to Minsk so that we can sit down and think about what can be done and maybe, if Biden wants to, we will invite Zelensky as well. (…) The Russians and I will ensure a safe journey to Belarus. It’ll be here in 40 minutes. From Kiev to Minsk,” Lukashenko said.
Joe Biden will be in Poland between February 20 and 22, on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
However, at the same meeting, Lukashenko warned that Belarus will join Russian troops if the country is attacked by Ukraine.
“I am ready to fight alongside the Russians from the territory of Belarus only in one case: even if it is just a soldier who (from Ukraine) comes to our territory with a weapon to kill our people,” Lukashenko stressed .
“This applies not only to Ukraine, but also to all other neighboring countries,” Lukashenko added, emphasizing that if there is an attack on Belarus, “the reaction will be very brutal and the war will take a completely different turn .”
Belarus serves as a rear base for the Russian offensive launched against Ukraine nearly a year ago. Russian soldiers and military equipment were transferred to Belarusian territory.
Many analysts claim that the Kremlin (Russian presidency) is pressuring Lukashenko to let the Belarusian army join the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
However, the Belarusian leader has so far refused to make this decision despite the heavy political and economic dependence on Moscow, especially since the major anti-government demonstrations in 2020.
The Belarusian leader also announced that he will meet with Putin on Friday.
In late January, Putin asked Minsk to negotiate the establishment of joint military training centers with Belarus.
In mid-October, Belarus and Russia even announced the creation of a joint force with a purely defensive mission, Minsk said.
The two countries regularly hold large-scale military exercises, regularly fueling speculation that the Belarusian army could take part in the offensive in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged Belarus to end its “complicity” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
