Belarus offers to host peace talks between Russia, US, Ukraine

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has offered to host peace talks in Minsk between the leaders of Russia, the United States, and Ukraine, state news agency Belta reported on Wednesday. The proposal was made during an interview with American blogger Mario Naufal.

Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that despite his views on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, negotiations were necessary, as a significant portion of Ukrainian society supports him.

“Therefore, tell [Donald] Trump that I am waiting for him here with Putin and Zelenskyy. Let’s sit down and talk peacefully,” Lukashenko said, addressing the blogger.

Minsk has previously served as a diplomatic venue for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. In September 2014, the Minsk Agreement, mediated by the OSCE, aimed to establish a ceasefire in Donbas, where Russian-backed separatists were engaged in conflict with Ukrainian government forces. However, the agreement failed to bring lasting peace, and fighting continued in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Tensions escalated further on February 21, 2022, when Russia recognized these two regions as so-called independent republics. Three days later, on February 24, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, using Belarusian territory as one of the staging grounds for its military operations.