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President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Russia, said he did not expect the war in Ukraine to drag on.
Mr Lukashenko told the Associated Press on Thursday that he was doing “everything” to end the 10-week conflict and that the sudden exercises of his own military this week it did not pose a threat to other countries.
“I want to emphasize once again: I feel that this operation has dragged on,” he said in an interview in Minsk, accusing Ukraine and the United States of fomenting war.
The Belarusian leader, whose support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion has targeted more Western sanctions, allowed Russian troops to gather for joint military exercises in the Eastern European country in February, with Belarus serving as a venue for the war.
He described himself as key to talks between Moscow and Kyiv, which have not yet reached an agreement as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine.
“We have done and are doing everything now so that there is no war,” Lukashenko told the AP. “My sincere thanks to me, the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have begun.
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Mr Lukashenko described the use of nuclear weapons as “unacceptable”, but added that he could not answer whether the Kremlin had such plans.
“Not only is the use of nuclear weapons unacceptable because it is right next to us – we are not overseas like the United States. This is also unacceptable because it could bring down our globe, flying out of orbit to who knows where, “he was quoted as saying by the AP. “Whether Russia is capable of this is a question you need to ask the Russian leadership.
He also called Putin his “big brother” and said the Russian president had no “closer, more open or friendly relations with any of the world’s leaders except the President of Belarus.”
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Recent exercises in Belarus appear routine, according to the British Ministry of Defense, which said on Thursday that it did not pose a threat after Belarus said it was testing the military’s response to crises and counter-threats.
Washington also said earlier that it saw no signs that Belarus intended to intervene directly in Ukraine. “I don’t think we have a firm, clear assessment of the announcement of this exercise,” a U.S. defense official told reporters on condition of anonymity under conditions determined by the Pentagon. “It could be just exercise.”
Lukashenko has said he has no plans to send troops across the border into Ukraine to fight alongside Moscow forces. Some Belarusians who oppose his 28-year rule have joined the fight against Russian troops in Ukraine.
“We are not threatening anyone and we will not threaten,” the Belarusian president told the AP on Thursday. “In order to unleash a conflict, a war here in the West, it is absolutely not in the interest of the Belarusian state. So the West can sleep peacefully. “
Amar Nadhir and Andrew Jeong contributed to this report.
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