‘There is no need to dance to the tune of the politicians who have taken leave of their senses’

At the end of his official visit to Tajikistan, Aleksandr Lukashenko went to Kazakhstan, where a very rich programme of stay awaited him. The President of Belarus took part in the sixth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), then in a session of the CIS Heads of State Council. At these two major international forums, the Belarusian leader spoke about the position of our country on the most important problems of our time and voiced proposals for resolving many critical issues. During his stay in the Kazakh capital, Aleksandr Lukashenko held a whole series of bilateral meetings and negotiations.  In addition, the President of Belarus gave an interview to the American television company NBC in Astana.

Photo by BELTA

In particular, the journalist asked the Head of the Belarusian State how Russian President Vladimir Putin reacts to the situation in Ukraine.
“Doesn’t he seem to be tense, maybe nervous, under pressure?” he asked noting that Russia is not yet winning in Ukraine.
“He is the President of a huge country. It always comes with some kind of pressure. I am telling you this as President. As for the Ukrainian conflict, you say that he is not winning there. Well, you are not winning this war, either. 

Fifty countries are actually fighting today against Russia on the territory of Ukraine. You are not scoring victories there. Therefore, it is necessary to look for ways out of this situation. And I must tell you that unlike you Westerners, President Putin has suggested solutions more than once. Apparently, people just do not want to listen to him and hear him at the moment. But they should. This is our position as well. And, you know, the looming deadlock (this is where the developments in Ukraine will take us) is also acknowledged by some members of NATO. And not some, but many of them,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

In this regard, the Belarusian leader cited the example of Türkiye. The Head of State met with Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the CICA summit in Astana. 
“We agreed that in the near future we would hold high-level talks where we would also discuss Ukraine. I will pay a visit to Ankara. I noticed that President Erdogan, the leader of one of the key NATO members, is not happy about the ongoing developments. They do not even hint, but openly demand that it is necessary to sit down at the negotiating table and come to an agreement. The USA should get involved in this process instead of supplying the increasing number of the most sophisticated weapons to Ukraine. In fact, no types of weapons, including American ones, will change the situation at the front lines,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.
The Head of State was asked about the probability of the Russian President’s deciding to use nuclear weapons.
“Don’t back your partner or even an adversary into a corner. It is the key thing. This is why one must not cross those lines, the red lines as Russians put it. One must not cross them. As for nuclear weapons, any weapon is made for a purpose. If there is a weapon, it is clear that it is being made to be used. Russia has clearly identified its position: Russia will be able to use all kinds of weapons if god forbid, the territory of the Russian Federation is attacked,” replied the President of Belarus. 

“As for the implication of your question, Russia’s leadership, including President Putin, has never intended to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. There is no need for that. You have noticed that it was forceful. Quite a lot of force. But it is not everything there is. I know for a fact that Russia has cutting-edge kinds of weapons. There is no need for nuclear weapons. Russia can succeed without nuclear weapons,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed and reminded that several days ago Russia used high-precision weapons to strike targets in Ukraine in response to actions concerning the Crimean Bridge.

Yet the Belarusian leader wondered who stands to benefit from hyping up the matter. Aleksandr Lukashenko also pointed out that some leaders of nuclear powers had started talking about nuclear weapons, “One must not even talk about this topic. It will be the end of the planet if only a single country resorts to nuclear weapons. Because it will cause a chain reaction. It is understood perfectly well in Russia. I emphasise one more time that I know it for a fact that nobody raises the question and nobody pushes for using nuclear weapons. I know it absolutely well. It is necessary to look for a peaceful solution to this conflict. It is beneficial for everyone, including the USA.”
The President also added, 

“Do you know who the main proponent of nuclear weapons is... Can you guess? I’ll tell you. It is Poland. It provokes you, the United States, to take some action in terms of nuclear weapons. Don’t fall for that trick. You are a large technological country. There is no need to dance to the tune of the politicians who have taken leave of their senses… Nuclear weapons must remain in warehouses where they are. Because if only nuclear weapons are moved, let’s say, to Poland, there will be a chain reaction. Reciprocal steps will follow. So don’t go for it. We need to calm down and sit down at the negotiating table.”

The President was asked whether Belarus was going to join Russia’s special military operation. 
“We, as I said it many times, are taking part in the military operation in a way that we support Russia in every possible way. Our support lies in the fact that our Western borders with Poland and Lithuania were not violated, so Russian troops were not stabbed in the back via Belarus. That’s how it has been since the very beginning,” the Head of State said.
“Our role is as follows: we care for Russia’s wounded and take on Ukrainian refugees. We admit some 400-500 Ukrainians a day. They have equal rights with Belarusians here. This is our role. But we are not killing anyone there, and we are not planning to kill anyone there. Firstly, no one, and I mean Russia here, is asking us to take part in this operation. And we are not going to do it. We have always said this. Apparently, you do not want to hear us,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
During the interview, the Head of the Belarusian State also stressed that he believes that a solution to the conflict in Ukraine can be found within a week, “It all depends on the US and the UK. If tomorrow you realise that we need to sit down at the negotiating table and find a solution, believe me, we will find a solution within a week.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko was also asked about Ukraine’s claims about mass graves and torture, 
“You know, there is an information war going on. Ukrainians talk about mass graves, crimes committed by the Russian side. The Russian side similarly reveals mass crimes committed by the Ukrainian side. These are usual information attacks on each other. In this situation, we need to get to the root of the matter. A war is raging. As a result of this war, in the course of this war, anything is possible, including what you said.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that first of all it is necessary to stop the war and look for a way out rather than talk how bad things are, “War is always bad. Not long ago I said that the world is preoccupied with the problem right now, and is looking for an answer as to who is to blame. 

Look, let us figure it out later. People are dying every day. Let us stop the war and come to an agreement. And then we will look into who is right and who is wrong. I guess this is a normal formula.”

The Head of State said that the process of negotiations started but then stopped.
“Zelenskyy [the President of Ukraine] was forbidden to negotiate. By whom? Three guesses who it was. Zelenskyy is not independent. They spread fake news about who is right and who is wrong, blame each other. This is not the right way out. Thousands of people are dying every day. Including innocent civilians. That is the truth. Let us stop this conflict,” the Belarusian leader urged.
Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke about his personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Speaking about my personal relationship with President Putin, it was not always cloudless. We have argued, sometimes we’ve quarrelled, but always we have been the utmost close friends and reliable partners. As I once said no one else has the same level of relations as those that exist between the Presidents of Belarus and Russia. This is first. Secondly, our relationship has intensified and strengthened lately. We have absolute trust in each other. That’s why we have practically no problems,” the Belarusian leader said.
The NBC journalist also asked the Belarusian Head of State to describe the current state of Vladimir Putin, what he thinks about. 
“It’s not what you think in the West and in the U.S. He is an absolutely reasonable, healthy, athletically fit person. You can see it externally. He is an absolutely reasonable person,” said the President of Belarus.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by