Europe 1 with AFP 14:53 p.m., March 31, 2023

On the 401st day of the war in Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Moscow's only ally in Europe, said Friday that Western support for Ukraine risked provoking a nuclear war. A little later, the UN denounced the "outrageously routine" human rights violations throughout Ukraine.

THE ESSENTIALS

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, on Friday called for a "truce" in Ukraine and talks "without preconditions" between Moscow and Kiev. "We have to stop now, before the escalation begins. I take the risk of suggesting a cessation of hostilities," said Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, during an address to the nation. "It is possible – and necessary – to settle all territorial, reconstruction, security and other issues at the negotiating table without preconditions," he added.

The main information:

  • Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called for a "truce" between Russia and Ukraine
  • Kremlin ruled out ending 'military operation' in Ukraine
  • The UN on Friday denounced "outrageously routine" human rights violations in Ukraine
  • Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders visited Bucha for the anniversary of the liberation of the city

The Belarusian leader, who blames the West and Ukraine for the conflict, also said he feared a "nuclear" war because of Western support for Kiev, while Vladimir Putin earlier announced his intention to deploy "tactical" nuclear weapons in Belarus. "Because of the United States and its satellites a total war has been unleashed" in Ukraine, he said, believing that from then on, "nuclear fires are on the horizon".

"You all understand and know that there is only one solution: negotiations! Negotiations without preconditions," he said. Stressing that the "military-industrial complex is running at full speed in Russia" and that Ukraine was "flooded with Western weapons", Aleksander Lukashenko worried about an upcoming "escalation" that will cause many deaths.

Moscow turns down Lukashenko

The Kremlin on Friday ruled out halting its offensive against Ukraine despite the call for a truce by its main ally, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. "Regarding Ukraine, nothing changes: the special military operation continues, since it is the only way to achieve the goals set by our country today," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

UN denounces daily human rights violations in Ukraine

Serious human rights violations have become "shockingly routine" thirteen months after Russia's offensive against Ukraine, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Friday. Across Ukraine, "people are facing massive suffering and loss, deprivation, displacement and destruction," he told the Human Rights Council, also stressing the lingering and profound effects on the rest of the world.

In Butcha, Volodymyr Zelensky vows to defeat "Russian evil"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Friday to defeat the "Russian evil" on the first anniversary of the Russian withdrawal from Butcha, a martyred city that has become a symbol of "atrocities" blamed on Moscow's troops. "We will win for sure, the Russian evil will fall, precisely here in Ukraine and will not be able to recover," President Zelensky told Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Slovakian Eduard Heger, Slovenian Robert Golob and Moldovan President Maia Sandu.

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For his part, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russia's only ally in Europe, called for a truce and "unconditional" negotiations to end the war, while blaming the West for the conflict. Reacting to this proposal, the Kremlin ruled out stopping its "military operation" in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president had previously vowed to "punish all the culprits" of the Butcha massacre.

On March 31, 2022, the Russian army withdrew from this city and all of northern Kiev, a month after launching the invasion of the country on the orders of President Vladimir Putin. Two days after the withdrawal, the massacre was known. AFP journalists discovered in Boutcha on April 2 charred carcasses of vehicles, destroyed houses and above all, scattered over several hundred meters, the corpses of twenty men in civilian clothes, one of whom had his hands tied behind his back.

Wimbledon tennis tournament 'intends' to accept Russian and Belarusian players

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which organizes Wimbledon and had refused the participation of Russian and Belarusian players in 2022 because of the war in Ukraine, announced on Friday that it had "intended" to accept them under "conditions" this year (3-16 July).

"Our current intention is to accept the participation of Russian and Belarusian players provided that they compete as 'neutral' athletes and that they meet the necessary conditions," the AELTC announced, stressing in particular that "they will be prohibited from expressing their support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine" and that players "receiving financial aid" from Russia or Belarus to participate in the tournament will not be allowed to participate.