Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Russian officials that Minsk does not want to be dragged into the war with Ukraine and that Moscow should not pressure it to join the fighting, according to a report from The Zioneer's intelligence desk. He said Belarusians do not want to fight Ukrainians, and that he has discussed the issue repeatedly with Vladimir Putin.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko delivered an unusual message to senior Russian officials on Saturday, signaling that Minsk will not join the war against Ukraine and that Moscow should stop pressing it to enter the conflict.
In a meeting with Moscow Oblast Governor Andrei Vorobyov and Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov, Lukashenko said he has discussed the issue many times with President Vladimir Putin. 'How would we fight the Ukrainians when on the other side there are mostly territorial defense personnel — farmers, workers, civilians who don't want to fight Belarusians?' Lukashenko said, according to a report.
The Belarusian leader also said he conveyed to Ukrainian representatives that any attempt to drag Belarus into the war would 'change the character of the conflict dramatically.' The statement appears designed to maintain a balancing act between Russia and the West, analysts suggest, as Belarus seeks to avoid direct participation in the war while continuing limited cooperation with Moscow, which uses Belarusian territory to launch drones into Ukraine.
As The Zioneer has reported in recent weeks, Ukraine has repeatedly warned Belarus against deepening military collaboration with Russia, including an ultimatum from President Zelensky on June 19 to remove strike-coordination equipment from the border within a week. Separately, Belarus announced it will allow Ukrainians from border areas to cross seasonally to pick mushrooms and berries in the Uiman Marshes reserve — a move interpreted both as a humanitarian gesture and as a potential cover for infiltration of hostile actors.
No official Kremlin response to Lukashenko's remarks has been reported so far.
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