Ukraine said Sunday it would hold talks with Russia at its border with Belarus — near the Chernobyl exclusion zone — after a call between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko warned Kyiv on Thursday that if it does not hold negotiations, it could lose its position as a sovereign state, even if the current state of things in Ukraine presents a chance to establish a peace agreement.
Speaking at the All-Belarusian Congress in Minsk, Lukashenko said that since neither Russia nor Ukraine can prevail in combat, the current situation is perfect for starting a dialogue.
Russia launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022. Ever since, the West has provided Kyiv with military, economic, and humanitarian aid.
“Ukraine wants unity right now, departure of more or less healthy, normal male Ukrainians from the nation so as not to make it to the front provides proof of that,” he said.
Lukashenko highlighted the challenges posed by Western military support for Ukraine, stressing that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy needed to accept reality and accept that his nation deserved peace.
“Ukraine would gradually lose its statehood and perhaps even vanish if we do not negotiate immediately. Peace is needed in Ukraine right now. We have to work for peace,” he emphasized.
The 2022 Istanbul agreements might serve as a springboard for talks; however, this does not imply that they “will serve as a basis,” just that “the parties may begin with and then go forward,” the speaker stated.
In October 2022, Zelesnkyy issued an edict prohibiting peace talks with Russia while Vladimir Putin is the country’s president.
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