Belarusian Leader Blames Kiev for Provoking Russia into Special Military Operation

Alexander Lukashenko also stressed that before the start of Russia’s special military operation, preparations had been made to carry out a missile strike on Belarus from Ukraine

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Pavel Orlovsky/BelTA/TASS

© Pavel Orlovsky/BelTA/TASS

MINSK, February 16. /TASS/. Ukraine was the one who incited Russia into the special military operation, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday.

"It’s not an invasion. The Ukrainian authorities were the ones who provoked this operation," Lukashenko said at a meeting with journalists, the BelTA news agency reported. "They should have made an agreement with Russia to avoid the conflict," he added.

Lukashenko pointed to Western politicians’ revelations that the Minsk accords had been taken advantage of in order to train the Ukrainian army. "There was no invasion. I believe that it’s about protecting Russia’s interests and the people who live there, the Russian people," he noted.

The Belarusian president also stressed that before the start of Russia’s special military operation, preparations had been made to carry out a missile strike on Belarus from Ukraine. "They came under attack from Belarus in the very first minutes. It had happened a few minutes before the special military operation was launched in the morning," he said.

Lukashenko also stressed that starting in 2020, Ukraine had in fact been the first to impose sanctions on Belarus before Western countries did so. In addition, the Belarusian leader recalled what the Ukrainian authorities had done in Donbass and the Odessa incident, where people had been burned alive. According to him, Ukraine was only an excuse for starting a war that the West was pushing for.

In the meantime, the head of state called for peace talks. "If you want peace for Ukraine, let’s start talking about peace tomorrow and the guns will go silent. But this is not what you [the West] want. You are to blame for the escalation. People are dying, so let’s stop it. Conditions have been created for that," Lukashenko said.

Belarus does not need strategic nuclear weapons — Lukashenko

Alexander Lukashenko recalled that when he took over as Belarusian leader, nuclear weapons were withdrawn from his country in accordance with the United States’ request

MINSK, February 16. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that his country does not need strategic nuclear weapons, since it is not going to attack the US or other countries, the BelTA news agency reports.

"We do not need strategic weapons absolutely. We are not going to kill Americans or launch strategic nuclear missiles from the territory of Belarus," Lukashenko told the media on Thursday. He stressed that Belarus was not going to "deal a strike on the US or the European countries."

"As for tactical nuclear weapons on the agenda, it is about reconfiguring aircraft to enable them to carry tactical nuclear weapons (earlier, Lukashenko said some planes of the national air force had been converted to carry nuclear weapons - TASS)," Lukashenko noted.

He recalled that when he took over as Belarusian leader, nuclear weapons were withdrawn from his country in accordance with the United States’ request.

"We had the most advanced Topol-M missiles. The most advanced weapons at the moment were here. We brought them out in exchange for guarantees from the Americans, Europeans and Russians that they would never encroach on our sovereignty and independence and would never apply economic sanctions against us," Lukashenko pointed out. "It was written down this way. They (the Western countries - TASS) have spit on it, trampled on it and applied sanctions against us. They try to strangle us wherever possible, in violation of that agreement."

If Belarus "had nuclear weapons, they would not be talking like that."

"It means that everyone understands only the language of force," he concluded.

Kiev in better position for talks at this point, Belarusian president says

Alexander Lukashenko is confident that if Kiev eventually engages in peace talks, "everyone will support Ukraine"

MINSK, February 16. /TASS/. Ukraine is currently in a better position for peace talks, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told foreign reporters on Thursday.

"Every war ends in peace talks, so let’s end it now. The current conditions favor Ukraine more. End this war and move on," he said, as cited by the BelTA news agency.

The Belarusian president is confident that if Kiev eventually engages in peace talks, "everyone will support Ukraine." "I will be the first one to do so when we sit at the negotiating table wherever you choose," Lukashenko specified.