Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has exhorted both Ukraine and Russia to continue negotiations, warning of the former's destruction if talks fail.
Lukashenko made this call during an interview with the state-owned TV channel Russia-1 released on Aug. 18. He specifically urged both Kyiv and Moscow to pick up negotiations from the earlier talks in 2022 that collapsed due to interference from then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
"We must sit down at the negotiating table and discuss the issues. But if it goes on like in [the] Kursk region, this will be an escalation that would result in Ukraine's destruction," Lukashenko warned. He referenced Ukraine's large-scale assault on the western Russian region, an internationally recognized territory under Moscow, in his remarks.
According to the close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the warring parties could re-engage based on a proposal by the Russian leader first brought up in the 2022 talks. Lukashenko told Russia-1: "Yes, the situation on the ground has changed. But this [proposal] could be a start … for a discussion."
Putin talked about the 2022 proposal last month. Under this document, Ukraine would receive certain "security guarantees" in exchange for "permanent neutrality" and downsizing its military.
Russia has claimed talks that would have ended the war were on the verge of a breakthrough, if not for the interference of Johnson – who reportedly advised Kyiv to "keep fighting." While Johnson has denied the accusation, staff members close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have confirmed his influential role behind the scenes. Nevertheless, Putin has reiterated that the 2022 document "remains on the table and could serve as the basis" for a new round of peace talks. (Related: Boris Johnson has meltdown after being exposed for sabotaging Ukraine peace deal.)
"While Russia has repeatedly said throughout the conflict that it is open to talks with Ukraine, Putin has recently said that any engagement with Ukraine is impossible as long as it is conducting attacks on civilians and threatening nuclear power plants – both of which Moscow has accused Kyiv of doing during the Kursk incursion," Russia Today noted.
Zelensky admits negotiations with Russia are A MUST
The state-owned news outlet continued that even Zelensky has admitted the need for Ukraine to open talks with the current Russian leadership, despite a still-active presidential decree signed in 2022 that prohibited Kyiv from doing so.
Last month, Zelensky told reporters that he is in the process of organizing a second peace summit concerning the ongoing conflict – this time with Russian representatives. The first iteration of the peace summit happened in June in Switzerland but without Moscow.
"I set a goal that in November, we would have a fully ready plan," Zelensky said on July 15. "I think that representatives of Russia should be at the second summit."
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba echoed these sentiments during a July 24 visit to China. He told top diplomats in Beijing that Kyiv is "willing and ready for dialogue and negotiations with Russia."
"I held detailed and thorough negotiations with my Chinese counterpart, [Chinese Foreign Minister] Wang [Yi], about the path to peace," Kuleba wrote on social media following the visit. "I emphasized that Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace, not just an illusion of peace, and I appreciate that this position was reciprocated."
The Ukrainian minister added that he and Wang "agreed that all forces must work together to find common ground on the path to restoring true peace per the principles of the United Nations Charter."
Head to UkraineWitness.com for more stories about peace talks to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Listen to the Health Ranger Mike Adams explaining why Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization want to cause a nuclear accident in Kursk below.
This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
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