A nod towards Putin?

Lukashenko sees time for peace talks

Lukashenko's connections to Putin could possibly provide the stumbling block to perhaps finding peace in Ukraine after all.

(Bild: president.gov.by)

The authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, believes the time is ripe for peace talks in the Ukraine war. The front is deadlocked and the conditions for peace talks are in place, the Russian state agency TASS quoted him as saying on Thursday. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky accused Russia of trying to prevent the international peace conference planned for June in Switzerland.

Lukashenko is closely allied with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who launched the all-out war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February 2022. Proposals discussed between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Turkey in the first weeks of the war could serve as a starting point for negotiations, Lukashenko added.

Lukashenko warns of the "end of the world"
At the same time, the autocrat warned that the "end of the world" was imminent if Russia used nuclear weapons in retaliation for Western actions. Russia has repeatedly warned that the West's support for Ukraine could lead to a direct confrontation with Russia and trigger a nuclear conflict.

According to Lukashenko, several dozen tactical nuclear weapons from Russia have been stationed in Belarus. This was done as part of the agreement that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced in 2023. Belarus declared in June that the delivery of the weapons had begun. This is the first time that Russia has stationed nuclear missiles in a foreign country since the Soviet era.

The Belarusian ruler and Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko

(Bild: president.gov.by)

There is still no end to the suffering in Ukraine - the only glimmer of hope on the ground at the moment is the recently agreed military aid from the USA.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Anatolii STEPANOV)

Selensky sees no will for peace in Russia
According to Selenskyj, however, Russia wants to prevent a planned international peace conference in Switzerland. Speaking to Ukrainian diplomats and foreign ambassadors in Kiev, Zelenskyi based this statement on intelligence information. There is "concrete data that Russia not only wants to disrupt the peace summit, but also has a concrete plan", the president said on Wednesday evening.

The plan is about how to reduce the number of countries participating in the conference or "how to proceed to ensure that there is no peace for much longer", said Zelenskyi. According to his presidential office, the head of state said that the partners would be informed through diplomatic channels about Moscow's attempts. "We must take joint action against this, we must work together for a just peace." The President announced that the world's heads of state and government would soon receive invitations to the meeting.

Switzerland promotes peace conference
Neutral Switzerland is planning a peace conference on Ukraine on June 15 and 16 near Lucerne. It will take place directly after the G7 summit of leading democratic industrialized countries in Italy. The conference with up to 80 states is intended to win over Russia-friendly powers such as India, South Africa and Brazil to the Ukrainian idea of a peace solution. China in particular is being courted to take part.

Fatal series of attacks continues unabated
Russia has been waging war on Ukraine for more than two years and has declared all talks without its participation pointless. At the same time, Moscow repeatedly asserts its willingness to talk; however, the conditions imposed amount to a virtual capitulation by Ukraine. Conversely, Ukraine's goal is to regain all of its occupied territories, which would mean the failure of Russia's large-scale invasion.