{"id":11391,"date":"2022-04-08T20:41:41","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T17:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/lukasenka-looking-for-a-role-to-play-at-russian-ukrainian-talks\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"lukasenka-looking-for-a-role-to-play-at-russian-ukrainian-talks","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11391\/","title":{"rendered":"Luka\u0161enka looking for a role to play at Russian-Ukrainian talks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka claimed on a number of occasions that he had nothing to do with Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. On April 7, the Belarusian ruler said that Belarus was declared a co-aggressor unfoundedly and without proof. He indicated his desire to participate in possible peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Moreover, he accused the West of dragging Belarus into the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.<\/b>\n<\/p>\n

Blitzkrieg fails<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t A few weeks ago, Luka\u0161enka admitted that Russian troops fired missiles at Ukraine from Belarus. There is enough evidence to prove that Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarus in a failed attempt to surround Kyiv.  \n<\/p>\n

\n\t Luka\u0161enka might not be aware of Moscow\u2019s original plan to invade Ukraine from Belarus. Or he might have hoped that Russian forces would capture Kyiv in a matter of days and Moscow would reward him for his assistance.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t In the last few weeks he has played down his role in the invasion, possibly expecting the West would ease economic sanctions against Minsk.\n<\/p>\n

Sanctions hit hard<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t The Belarusian leader on April 7 attempted to shift the blame to the West for sanctions, which are starting to weigh heavily on the Belarusian people.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The West would have imposed sanctions on Belarus anyway regardless of \u201cRussian-Ukrainian relations,\u201d he said at a meeting of the Security Council, in apparent reference to the Russian-Ukrainian war.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He accused the West of waging an “economic war [on Belarus]\u201d for two years \u201cto undermine the well-being of its population.” “With the events in Ukraine, we have been attacked on all fronts: in trade, finance, logistics,” he said. “Their main goal is to block our export channels and to weaken us through import restrictions.”\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Clearly, he is reluctant to admit that Belarus has been targeted by sanctions for its involvement in the aggression.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Sanctions undercut the economy, but Belarusian officials claim that they benefit Belarus by creating a window of opportunity.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Luka\u0161enka is trying to shift the blame because he understands that economic woes fuel public discontent.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t In a poll conducted by Chatham House in March, 60 percent of respondents in Belarus said that ordinary people\u2019s lives will get worse in the next three months, while 71 percent said that they expected prices to soar.\n<\/p>\n

Lukasenka\u2019s peace mission fails<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t The Belarusian leader has failed in his attempt to arrange for himself the role of a neutral and peaceful host. At the Security Council meeting he expressed regret that the talks were moved away from Belarus to Turkey.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u201cThey did not need our peacemaking mission in Belarus. It was their plan to put us in one basket with Russia and deal with us while they are at it.\u201d  \n<\/p>\n

\n\t Obviously, Kyiv prefers to hold talks on a neutral ground. It does not see Belarus as a neutral party because Russian forces launch missiles at Ukraine from Belarusian territory.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u201cBelarus has hosted three meetings between Russians and Ukrainians, at which paths to a peace treaty were identified,\u201d Luka\u0161enka said. \u201cBut professional efforts by our military officials and diplomats went unnoticed in the West.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He sounded nostalgic for 2014-2015, when the West had taken him seriously as he tried to distance himself from Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea and Moscow\u2019s attempt to foment a bloody rebellion in eastern Ukraine. At the time, he demonstrated a degree of independence from Moscow and managed to improve ties with the West. He cast himself as a peace broker and later aggressively promoted Minsk\u2019s new security proposals.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Luka\u0161enka saw his reliance on Moscow grow dramatically after the Kremlin backed him during mass protests in Belarus against vote rigging in the 2020 presidential election. His recent attempts to play a neutral side are simply ridiculous.\n<\/p>\n

No separate deals<\/span><\/h2>\n

\n\t Luka\u0161enka probably understands that he is perceived as a co-aggressor and the Kremlin\u2019s puppet.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The most important statement he made at the Security Council meeting was that he does not want any \u201cseparate\u201d deals struck behind his back. “The three Slavic nations” should finally “sit down at the table and agree as equals,” he added.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makiej said the same day that Minsk had informed Moscow of its intention to take part in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On April 8, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow supports the idea that Belarus should act as a security guarantor in a possible future peace deal with Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He claimed that Ukraine would like to see among its security guarantors “all the countries adjacent to Ukraine and a number of other states, including the permanent members of the UN Security Council.”\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The Russian invasion of Ukraine has affected Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. But the leaders of these countries have not declared an intention to sit at the negotiating table with Russia and Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Luka\u0161enka\u2019s desire to play a role in the negotiations only proves his complicity in Russia\u2019s assault on Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n

Misgivings<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t Luka\u0161enka fears that Vladimir Putin can make a deal with Kyiv and get away with the invasion. The West may ease sanctions against Russia, while Moscow may safeguard itself from claims for compensation and will not be held accountable for war crimes. Luka\u0161enka fears that he may be held accountable.\n<\/p>\n

That is why he wants to be
\ninvolved in the talks. And his remark that he does not want any \u201cseparate\u201d
\ndeals made behind his back suggests that he is afraid that Moscow does not really
\nwant to see him at the negotiating table. He realizes that the Kremlin views him, and fears that it will treat him as its vassal, not as a player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka claimed on a number of occasions that he had nothing to do with Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. On April 7, the Belarusian ruler said that Belarus was declared a co-aggressor unfoundedly and without proof. He indicated his desire to participate in possible peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Moreover, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-11391","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLuka\u0161enka looking for a role to play at Russian-Ukrainian talks | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka claimed on a number of occasions that he had nothing to do with Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. 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