Lukashenko: negotiations without preconditions only way to avoid WWIII

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 Mar 2023 14:10

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says a nuclear global war is becoming more imminent and negotiations are the only way to prevent WWIII.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their meeting in Minsk, Belarus, January 19, 2023 (AP).

During a press conference on Friday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko addressed lawmakers and the Belarusian people, emphasizing that negotiations without preconditions are needed to end the war in Ukraine.

Lukashenko proposed, in an attempt to prevent a global nuclear war, to stop the movement of military equipment from both sides and declare a ceasefire.

Negotiations without preconditions

Lukashenko noted "Today is a uniquely special moment that will never happen again," and explained that everyone, in regards to the war in Ukraine, is aware that "there is only one way" to end the conflict and it's through "negotiations without preconditions."

However, the president noted that the potential counteroffensive by Ukraine could make Kiev-Moscow peace talks impossible and will lead to further escalation.

Lukashenko said "Unfortunately, now, as you hear, there is a lot of talk about the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian armed forces.

In my opinion, this is extremely dangerous, this is the worst thing that is possible in the current conditions because it can cross out all hopes for the negotiation process and lead to an irreversible escalation of the conflict."

WWIII and nuclear threat

The Belarusian president address noted that the threat of World War Three and the threat of nuclear weapons usage have become very real and possible.

Lukashenko highlighted that “under the current circumstances and the military-political situation around our country [Belarus], I strongly intensified negotiations with Russian President [Vladimir] Putin on the return of nuclear weapons to Belarus; the return of nuclear weapons that were withdrawn in the 90s.”

The president said that in the 1990s, he did not want to remove nuclear weapons from Belarus but succumbed to pressure from the West and the former Russian government.

Threats to Belarus

According to Lukashenko, the West has been prepared and is ready to invade Belarus and burn it to the ground.

Lukashenko argued, "they [the West] are preparing to invade the territory of Belarus to destroy our country."

The president also urged the West to admit their failure in organizing a revolution in Belarus first through "the formation of certain regiments...for the subsequent coup in Belarus."

In the spirit of negotiations, Lukashenko also offered the West to start rebuilding relations.

Nuclear weapon in Belarus 'dangerous': NATO

NATO condemned on Sunday Russia's announcement that it will deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus and called it "dangerous and irresponsible."

However, the military alliance did admit through its spokesperson Oana Lungescu that the Western allies had not yet "seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own."

Moscow's plan triggered Ukraine to call for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss Russia's announcement to deploy its tactical warheads to its neighboring country.

Kiev sees this announcement as "nuclear blackmail".

In a statement, as cited by the German news agency DPA, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said, "The comparison made by President Putin with the joint use of NATO nuclear weapons is misleading and cannot be used to justify the step announced by Russia."