Copyright kyivpost
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Russian state media on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is to announce a proposal for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine – warning of dire consequences for Ukraine if it does not accept. Lukashenko’s comments followed a meeting with Putin in Moscow that lasted over five hours, as per Reuters. “It’s a good proposal for Ukraine, proposals that were heard by Donald Trump in Alaska, among other places, and taken to Washington for consideration and discussion. A very good proposal,” Lukashenko said. Should Ukraine refuse Putin’s terms, he warned that the situation will become similar to the early days of Russia’s full-scale war. “It will be even worse; they will lose Ukraine.” The Belarusian leader emphasized that Putin’s proposal – supposedly – has the support of US President Donald Trump. “To avoid losing all of Ukraine, [President Volodymyr Zelensky] must not just negotiate, but agree to favorable terms — terms that, by and large, have been approved by the Americans,” he said. Lukashenko also repeated a claim that he has made previously – that, as the heads of three Slavic nations, he, Zelensky and Putin should “come to an agreement” on ending the war. Zelensky has repeatedly offered to meet with Putin for peace talks, inviting Putin to meet him in Istanbul as long ago as May. After a summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15, Trump said he believed that Putin would engage in peace talks within a matter of weeks. However, the Kremlin soon rowed back on this claim. After meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of this week’s UN General Assembly, Trump indicated that he may have lost patience with Putin – claiming that Ukraine may be able to reclaim its entire territory militarily and referring to Russia as a “paper tiger.” However, some European leaders have warned that Trump’s apparently favorable shift in stance on Ukraine may in fact herald a withdrawal of US support.
