Lukashenko describes Belarus as key peace broker in Russia-Ukraine conflict

Belarus has a peacekeeping role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Minsk on 21 July, BelTA has learned.

Answering the French journalist's question about the role of Belarus in the events taking place in Ukraine, Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the role is ‘huge'.

“It is peacekeeping, first and foremost. As soon as this conflict broke out, having a general idea of what was happening and what was going to happen, I kept calling Zelensky all day and asking him: “Volodya, please sit down at the negotiating table. It is not to your detriment. Talk to each other. Any peace is better than a good war,” the head of state said.

He recalled that after that Belarus hosted several “very successful” rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. But the West - primarily the United States and Great Britain – did not let Ukraine continue them, the president said.