The long-serving authoritarian leader is a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
ADVERTISEMENTDonald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are welcome to hold peace talks in Belarus over Russia's war in Ukraine, the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said.
In an interview with the US blogger Mario Nawfal, Lukashenko invited the leaders of the US, Russia and Ukraine to his country, suggesting its proximity to Kyiv makes it a suitable location for such discussions.
“We will sit here and reach an agreement in a calm atmosphere, hassle-free,” claimed Belarus’ long-serving authoritarian leader, who is a close ally of Putin.
“So, please tell Trump that I am waiting for him here for talks with Putin and Zelenskyy. We will negotiate calmly if they want to make a deal,” he added.
During the same interview, Lukashenko showered praise on the new US president.
“Trump is a good guy,” Lukashenko said, before adding that his US counterpart “has already done something to end the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East”.
Kyiv is likely to view Lukashenko’s offer with distrust, as the autocratic leader allowed Putin to use his country as a launchpad for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Trump administration’s position on the war in Ukraine has brought consternation to Kyiv and much of Europe.
As well as holding meetings with Russian officials without the presence of Ukrainians, the US president has repeated a number of Moscow’s talking points, including the unfounded suggestion that Kyiv was responsible for starting the war.
Last week, Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, travelled to Washington with the intention of signing a minerals deal with the US.
Instead, a blazing row ensued in the Oval Office between him and the US president. Several days later, Washington announced that it was freezing aid to Ukraine.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Zelenskyy called Friday’s events at the White House “regrettable” and indicated that he was ready to talk about a ceasefire.
“None of us wants an endless war,” he said. “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”