Lukashenko hopes for liberation of Kursk Region by late December and progress with peace talks
In an interview with Izvestia on the side-lines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko shared his expectations that the liberation of the Kursk Region of Russia would take place by the end of December, and he also expressed hope for progress with peace negotiations, BelTA reports
In his talk with the Russian journalist, the Head of State repeated his previously voiced thesis that the situation related to possible peace talks had changed: it was said earlier that peace in Ukraine is possible on condition of the consent of the United States and Europe (the collective West), but now they want peace even more than Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself. "He is stubbornly refusing now,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
On the other hand, the West cannot influence Zelenskyy simply by not transferring him another tranche of money or new weapons, because this is tantamount to losing public face.
"Therefore, the West does not follow this path, but it sees what is happening on the territory, where Russia is slowly but confidently moving forward at the front. Take the Kursk Region, for example: it is making headway there. Those [in the West] see and evaluate it – giving a proper assessment, not like Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They understand that the collapse of Ukraine may come, and the collapse of Ukraine would mean the collapse of the entire collective West, since it got involved into this war. [They understand] that it is now necessary to somehow come to peace, but Zelenskyy is making a stand against,” the Belarusian leader noted.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, there is a kind of agony now. “He [Zelenskyy] began to take action a little earlier, and especially now with his ‘victory plans’. These are actually calls for peace talks, but Russia’s point of view has also changed. Russia is moving forward, it is making headway at the front," the Head of State shared his thoughts.
The President added that Ukrainians’ ‘Kursk adventure’ had seriously changed the situation, ‘and Russia as well’. “The current situation has changed, [Russia can say it will] talk in a different manner, in a different place and on other issues. Can it [Russia] say so? It has not said this yet, but it can. Actually, I am pleased that Russians and Vladimir Putin adhere to such a constructive position, and Ukrainians need to take this position into account," Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “Let's hope that the Kursk Region will be liberated by the end of December, and there will be some progress in terms of negotiations. We are ready to act in this direction."
Speaking about his recent closed-door talks with representatives of the West, the President stated that they already realise that the war is the fault of both sides. "During the negotiations, they told me openly that they agree, and the blame should be shared by both sides – including Ukraine (rather than to insult Russia). This is what the West says, and this is already a certain progress,” he noted.
Aleksandr Lukashenko did not mention which countries he had closed-door negotiations with, “We agreed that those were closed-door talks. Some persons abroad have tracked something, and they are now speaking of a plane heading somewhere or a man going there… We do not have anything to say about that.”
