Lukashenko said that he persuaded Zelensky to start negotiations with Russia

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said that it was he who convinced Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of the need for Ukrainian-Russian negotiations. Lukashenka told the BelTA state agency about this.

“Heavy was (telephone – ed.) conversation. He considered us the aggressor. But in the end we agreed. And I told him: the Russian delegation is waiting for you in Gomel. Come,” Lukashenka said, adding that he pointed out to the leader of Ukraine the unfolding conflict.

According to the President of Belarus, he told Zelensky: “Stop opposing, because all the dogs will be set on you.”

Lukashenka also told how he organized the arrival of the Ukrainian delegation. “I contacted the President of Russia. I agreed with the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, our military were connected. We provided a corridor from Kyiv to Gomel. And there I had to pick them up by helicopters. Nothing of the kind,” Lukashenka admitted. According to him, the Ukrainian team of negotiators went first to Lvov, and from there to Poland. “They asked the Belarusians to let the NATO plane on which they flew to Brest,” Lukashenka added.

According to him, “we had to allow the Poles to cross the state border and bring them to the Brest airport, and from there they would be picked up by our helicopters and delivered to the “recreation center”.”

Lukashenka also negatively assessed Germany’s statement about the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine. “The bandits have arrived, the most modern weapons have been brought to Ukraine and are still being imported. Moreover, negotiations are underway – there is a statement that the EU is starting deliveries of combat aircraft to Ukraine, ”the leader of Belarus said, noting that this is not acceptable during negotiations.

Recall, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an emergency appeal to the Russians and announced a special military operation in the Donbass. In his speech, he stated that “circumstances require decisive action from Russia” and stressed that “Russia will not allow Ukraine to have nuclear weapons.” In response to Russia’s actions, Western countries (USA, Canada, European Union, Great Britain, Japan) announced new, tougher sanctions against the Russian Federation, including financial and economic ones. Later, the EU countries and the United States agreed to disconnect Russian banks that fell under sanctions from the international system of interbank transactions and information exchange SWIFT.

You can follow the chronicle of events around Ukraine on March 1 here.