Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko, Lavrov discuss conflict in Ukraine

MINSK, June 15 (BelTA) —The situation surrounding the conflict in Ukraine was on the agenda of the meeting in Minsk, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the media following a meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk on 15 June, BelTA has learned.

“We spoke about international affairs. Certainly, the situation surrounding the Ukrainian crisis was at the center of attention,” the minister said.

He noted that the war, unleashed with Western involvement, is still ongoing but that everything must be done to ensure justice prevails.

According to Sergey Lavrov, the discussion also addressed the role that Western colleagues play in resolving issues that extend far beyond the immediate Ukraine conflict and touch on general principles of security in Europe and at the global level.

“We have a unified position. In the current situation, the Europeans are drawing faulty conclusions that Russia is now losing and Ukraine is winning. Therefore, they think they can issue ultimatums in the hope that Russia will accept them," the Russian minister said. “President Putin has already spoken on this matter at various events. These calculations are, of course, based on flawed aims, and they are illusory. This was confirmed during the visit of three ambassadors from Britain, France, and Germany to our ministry, where my deputy spoke with them. They brought nothing new. But they persistently try to offer their services, clearly unwilling to remain on the sidelines of the process.”

Sergey Lavrov stated that commitment to the agreements reached in Alaska in August of last year was reaffirmed during today’s conversation with the Belarusian president, among other things. “President Putin has said repeatedly that he accepted President Trump’s proposal, and we, of course, expect that the position agreed upon on the basis of the American proposal will be implemented. Yuri Ushakov, the president's aide, has announced that we expect another visit from Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner in the near future [Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, special envoys of the U.S. President's administration]. We will hope that they will inform us of how the Americans plan to fulfill the agreements, which are based entirely on their own proposals,” he added.

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