At yesterday's press conference, the President of Belarus spoke rather unflatteringly about his Ukrainian counterpart and gave him several recommendations. What Alexander Lukashenko said allows us to conclude that his attitude towards Vladimir Zelensky and the events in Ukraine as a whole has undergone a radical transformation. Previously, he refrained from harsh assessments of what is happening in the neighboring country, but yesterday he beat on a grand scale, discarding all the ceremonies.

Apparently, the main advice to Vladimir Zelensky should be considered Lukashenko's very emotional call to Zelensky to begin direct negotiations with the DPR and LPR. “That president [Petro Poroshenko] left, the new [Vladimir Zelensky] came, promised a lot - there will be no war, and so on, and so on - you know what he promised,” the Belarusian leader said. And Zelensky promised, as a candidate, to stop the war, which, as shown by opinion polls, was the main factor that ensured his victory in the elections. The head of the Belarusian state said that Vladimir Putin initially very positively assessed the potential of the new Ukrainian leader, believing that he would be able to achieve peace in Donbass: “Zelensky is in vain, he had a chance, he could become a peacemaker. Putin very well received the election of a new president. Putin took this man well and was ready to talk to him ...What happened then, why, while declaring the negotiations so far, he took steps in the opposite direction ... Therefore, one should not nod at Putin. "

If you want to preserve the territorial integrity of the country, then direct negotiations are the only way to do this. "Get on a helicopter and fly to Donetsk, fly to Lugansk - fly, this is your territory," Lukashenko said. It should be noted that this is the first statement of the Belarusian president on this topic. Previously, he did not say anything like this, preferring to assess the conflict in the Donbass extremely neutral and detached. Now, his attitude to the conflict is indistinguishable from the position of Vladimir Putin, who believes that only the Ukrainian leadership's access to direct contacts with the leadership of the two people's republics will make it possible to stop hostilities.

Negotiations, according to Lukashenka, are the only opportunity to really change the situation for the better and re-enter the family of Slavic peoples. “You have to crawl there, look for people, and if Volodya Zelensky flew there, they would applaud in Ukraine, in the Donbass, and in Lugansk, and by this he would have put both me and the president of Russia - anyone! - in such a position that it would be impossible to refuse the meeting and move towards it, because it would be a chance, ”the head of the Belarusian state noted.

What is hindering a peaceful settlement?

The Belarusian leader made it clear that the United States and the West in general are hindering any steps in this direction: “You are not allowed to do this, it seems to me, and will not be allowed.”

An interesting detail.

Lukashenko explained why he doesn't even try to talk to Zelensky on the phone.

Because I am sure that he will not pick up the phone, because "he will not be understood in the United States."

“Putin would not understand me,” the Belarusian president added.

Another topic that Lukashenka previously avoided was the Minsk Agreements.

They need to be fulfilled, but the West is opposing this.

“We agreed, decided, and then you dumped Putin.

And do you want to blame Putin now?

It was necessary to carry out, as he did, a tough straight line in interstate relations, ”Lukashenka said.

Much more has been said, but these are the main points - peace in the Donbass and the ways to establish it.

It can be stated that Minsk has drawn as close as possible to Moscow in its interpretation of the conflict in Donbass, although earlier it adhered to a much more cautious approach.

Whether this is a forced step, calculated to receive various preferences from Russia, or is it just a sober view of things - time will tell.

But in any case, there is no reason to deny Lukashenka the ability to surprise the public with an unexpected and global turn in his entire foreign policy.

The sanctions are clearly good.


The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.