Russia and Ukraine should negotiate to end their conflict in order to avoid the war spilling over into Belarus, said President Alexander Lukashenko, a key ally of Vladimir Putin, in an interview with Russian state television.
Lukashenko spoke in the context of the Ukrainian incursion into Russia that began on August 6th, when thousands of Ukrainian soldiers breached Russia’s western border, causing significant embarrassment for Putin’s military leadership.
In an extensive interview, Lukashenko stated that only “high-ranking people of United States (U.S.) origin” want the continuation of the Ukraine-Russia war.
On Thursday, Russia announced that it would strengthen its border defense while hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate from the western Kursk region. Kyiv reported that its forces have advanced 35 kilometers into Russia since last week and continue to gain ground.
Lukashenko suggested, without providing evidence, that Kyiv might have plans to attack Belarus and said that Minsk would not allow Ukrainian soldiers to “trample on our land.”
The Ukrainian military did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.
