Events

MINSK, 3 October (BelTA) – Both the West and Russia have made a great deal of mistakes in the Ukrainian conflict, but the West bears greater responsibility from the start. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko voiced the opinion in an interview with the TV channel Euronews, BelTA has learned.

“It was not Russia that escalated the conflict during maidan. It was not Russia that acted there but some officials of Western countries that acted openly there, instigating maidan participants to fight. The entire world knows about it and we know it, too, because we were close. It was not Russia’s doing,” said the Belarusian leader.

“Russia is accused of capturing Crimea, of Russians taking part in the war in Donetsk and Lugansk… It may be possible to accuse Russia of it but the reason to do so did not originate from Russia. Ukrainian authorities at least provided the reason for Russia to become concerned and take preventive measures to protect Russian-speaking people, for instance, in Crimea,” noted the Belarusian head of state.

Alexander Lukashenko believes that the West would follow the same course of action in a similar situation. “I sometimes think what would happen if, for instance, rights of Americans are infringed in a similar manner in Mexico’s north where there are naturally many Americans or in some other continent. The USA would act immediately, including with weapons! Russia acted the same way in Crimea. Why was it necessary to give a reason for such a powerful country like Russia to interfere in these events and protect the Russian-speaking population in Crimea?! Why was it necessary to give the reason? Ukrainian authorities gave that reason,” noted the Belarus President.

“The same thing happened in the east. Why did they have to fiddle with such sharp weapons like language? There was nothing wrong with people speaking Russian and Ukrainian in southeast. Was it really necessary to put pressure on Russian speakers, including by infringing on their rights, in this acute phase of confrontation?” added the Belarusian leader.

“That was another reason from that side. Maybe the cause. Why does Russia have to be rebuked for it? And then if America and the European Union say that Ukraine and possibly Ukraine’s southeast are an area of their vital interests, can we reproach Russia for taking care of its interests over there? Interests of the Ukrainian nation should be at the forefront but it is up to the Ukrainian government to take care of that,” noted Alexander Lukashenko.

Alexander Lukashenko stressed that he was not rehabilitating Russia or trying to interpret the situation from Russia’s point of view. “I said initially that I cannot accept the Novorossiya project, for instance. I am in favor of unity and integrity of the Ukrainian state without any mothballed conflicts, zones like Transdniestria, Nagorno-Karabakh that may blow up later on. I personally don’t want that as a man and as the president of Belarus because we are so close to Ukraine,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

According to the President, considering the fact that there are many Russians and Belarusians living in Ukraine’s southeast, neither Russia nor Belarus can forget about their own nationals. “If you mean the war for this region, I am absolutely convinced that if the West and Ukrainian authorities follow a proper policy, come up with proper responses, then Russia will never fight for this region. But Russia will never agree to the oppression of Russians over there,” the Belarusian leader said addressing the interviewer.

“When you reproach Russia and you have reasons for it, don’t forget about other global players in international politics that have violently stomped on laws of the world. Delivering a military strike to some country, destroying that country, and hanging the president has become the accepted practice. Russia didn’t do it. It was done in Iraq, in Libya, other countries. If they didn’t kill the head of state, they plunged the country into a crisis the way it was done in Egypt. The world is mad. And in this context I am ready to consider events in Ukraine and the actions of primary players, powers that be,” noted the Belarus President.

“International law has been neglected for a long time. Those, who are stronger, claim to be the right ones. It is so. The United Nations Organization has become a non-entity, a discussion club, which convenes but is impotent and cannot influence anything. It is abnormal. Other international organizations also fail to carry out their functions. And it wasn’t Russia that initiated this planetwide chaos and violations of international norms. It is truth and it is impossible to avoid,” added the Belarusian head of state.