Opinions & Interviews

GATOVO, 9 September (BelTA) – Belarus does not want the escalation of the Ukraine crisis and will try to ease the tensions there as much as it can, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with workers of the Minsk Leather Production Association in Gatovo on 9 September, BelTA has learned.

“I have said many times that a fratricidal war is going on in Ukraine. It is rivalry, confrontation. You know who benefits from it. We do not, Ukraine does not and Russia does not. Why is Ukraine not interested in it? Because their people are killed on their territory, because it destabilizes the situation in Ukraine. No one wants it, because it undermines the traditional way of life,” Alexander Lukashenko noted.

The President spoke about the impact of information wars on the Ukraine conflict. “It is not the kind of war we had in the past; there is an information war going on there. Do not be afraid of information wars, listen to everything, but with a grain of salt,” the President said.

He reminded that Belarus also had to stand up to an information war some time ago. However, the country managed to survive. One should not worry too much about these information wars, the President noted.

Alexander Lukashenko deems it necessary to prevent the spread of the Ukraine conflict outside the Ukrainian border. He noted: “The underlying reasons for the situation in Ukraine have nothing to do with Americans and Europeans. It is about Ukrainians. “It is about corruption, failed government, and crime. They triggered the situation that spiraled into the conflict. When they saw that a conflict was arising in the heart of Europe, they started stirring it up,” the head of state said.

He noted that Belarus is only interested in peace and conflict resolution. The President assured that the situation will remain calm in Belarus: “If our economy is doing well, if our people are busy with work, the peace will not be endangered. We need to live in our country and keep working peacefully”.