Belarus troops HAVE also carried out ‘special operation’ in Ukraine, Lukashenko admits: Soldiers crossed over the border to free truckers who were ‘captured by scoundrels’
- Alexander Lukashenko said Minsk was forced to carry out ‘special operation’
- He had today said this was done to return ‘captured’ truck drivers from Ukraine
- The Belarusian president also urged for Minsk to be included in peace talks
The Belarusian president has today said that Minsk had been forced to carry out what he called a ‘special operation’ to return truck drivers from Ukraine.
Alexander Lukashenko claimed this was done in order to free ‘our people’, who were being captured by ‘scoundrels’.
It comes as the president of Belarus – Russia’s main ally – urged for Minsk to be included in peace talks aimed at ending the ‘war’ in Ukraine, using a term banned by Moscow.
Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) claimed this was done in order to free ‘our people’, who were being captured by ‘scoundrels’
According to the country’s state-run news agency Belta, Lukashenko said: ‘It got to the point that these scoundrels began to capture our people there, primarily drivers…that happened to be there at the time.
‘I warned the Ukrainians that we would be forced to carry out an operation to free these people. We carried out such a special operation and freed all our people.’
Lukashenko also repeatedly chose to use the word ‘war’ to regard the conflict at a meeting with security officials today, despite Russia referring to a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine and insisting that the public and media use this term, while the use of words such as ‘war’ or ‘invasion’ can incur heavy penalties.
Belarusian troops taking part in a military training in Brest Province, Belarus on Friday on March 4, 2022
He complained that Minsk is not a participant in rounds of peace talks between delegations from Kyiv and Moscow, which have been held in Belarus and Istanbul.
He said: ‘We are working on the basis that this war is just over the fence from our country and it affects the situation in our country in the most serious way.
‘Therefore there should not be any separate agreements behind Belarus’s back.
He added: ‘There can be no negotiations without Belarus. If you dragged us into this – primarily Western countries – then Belarus’s position naturally should be heard at talks.
‘We don’t proceed from the fact that we’ve been put into the same basket together with Russia.
‘No. We proceed from the fact that this war is just over the fence of our country. And it is most seriously affecting the situation in Belarus.
‘This is why there can be no separate agreements behind Belarus’ back.’
A man pictured as he walks past an apartments building damaged by shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine today
The country’s president also said that Belarus was deemed an ‘accomplice of the aggressor’ without any evidence to back up claims, Belta reports.
Lukashenko added Belarus does not want a war at its border and once again stressed the need for negotiations.
He said: ‘We don’t need this war, because we can end up suffering the most as a result of this conflict, the conflict between the two Slavic peoples.
‘I have been saying this from the very first day of this confrontation between Ukraine and Russia.
‘We once again offered Russia and Ukraine a safe place for negotiations.
‘Our initiative was heard, appreciated and accepted. Belarus hosted three meetings of Russians and Ukrainians where they charted ways towards a peace deal.
Rescuers work among remains of residential building destroyed by Russian shelling, amid Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, in Borodyanka, Kyiv region, today
‘However, professional actions of our military and diplomats went unnoticed in the West.
‘Belarus was declared an accomplice of the aggressor for no good reason. This was immediately followed by new sanctions.’
Belarus has allowed Russian troops to use the country bordering Ukraine as a rear base and has hosted three rounds of peace talks close to the border with Ukraine.
In early February Russia was reported to be massing nuclear-capable missiles along with 30,000 troops in Belarus, NATO had warned.
Ukrainian authorities in March accused Belarus of moving forces into Chernihiv, a city near the country’s border with Belarus, but this has been denied by Lukashenko who nevertheless had said he would send troops to the border to halt ‘provocation’ against his country, the Independent reports.
Lukashenko has also complained that last month’s talks in Istanbul were the result of ‘pressure from the west on Ukraine, not to go to Belarus at any cost’.
He said that Belarus was not insisting on talks being held on its territory, however.
‘Let them hold talks there. The main thing is for there to be a result. Because, I stress again, war causes great harm to Belarus,’ Lukashenko added.
It comes as Russia completed the pull-out of 24,000 troops from Kyiv and Chernihiv in preparation for an expected major offensive in the Donbas.
Putin’s soldiers have been sent to Belarus and Russia to resupply and reorganise before the heavy onslaught in Ukraine’s east, US intelligence sources said.
Residents in the Donbas have been told to evacuate now ahead of the impending manoeuvre, as Zelensky warned that Moscow is now marshalling reinforcements and trying to push deeper into the country’s east, where the Kremlin has said its goal is to ‘liberate’ the region.
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