MOSCOW, May 21 (Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday dismissed any notion that Belarus would be dragged into the Ukraine war, but said Russia and Belarus would jointly defend themselves in case of aggression, Belarusian state news agency BELTA reported.
Lukashenko was also quoted by BELTA as saying that he was ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has repeatedly suggested that Belarus could become further involved in the more than four-year-old conflict.
Lukashenko made his remarks during joint nuclear exercises with Russia which he and Russian President Vladimir Putin observed via a video conference.
“As for (Zelenskiy’s) statements that Belarus will be drawn into the war, as I have just said, this will occur in only one instance – if aggression is committed on our territory,” BELTA quoted Lukashenko as saying.
“We will together defend our Fatherland…where our two countries stand,” he added.
He said that if Zelenskiy wanted to “talk about something, have a discussion or perhaps something else, by all means, we are open to this. Any location — Ukraine, Belarus – I am ready to meet him and discuss problems in our relations.”
Belarus allowed Russia to use its territory for Moscow’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Zelenskiy has for weeks warned of unusual activity and a possible cross-border incursion.
Zelenskiy was discussing strengthening defences on Thursday with officials in northern Ukraine near the Belarusian border.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said Russia was “eager to draw Belarus deeper into this war” and pledged that Ukraine had “the capability to strengthen our defences…and to work preventively.”
Lukashenko and Belarus have long been subject to Western sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses and for helping Russia stage its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
But the United States has held several rounds of talks with Belarus that have led to the release of hundreds of detainees deemed political prisoners in Western countries in return for the easing of some sanctions. U.S. envoy John Coale has said Lukashenko might soon visit the United States.
In his comments, Lukashenko said European leaders unhappy at the prospect of improved relations between Washington and Minsk could have prompted Zelenskiy to make his latest allegations.
“They see that we are having a specific dialogue with the Americans,” BELTA quoted him as saying. “And not everyone likes that. And that’s why they are nudging Zelenskiy.”
(Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Felix Light; editing by Vladimir Soldatkin, Ron Popeski and Alistair Bell)
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