Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that its military is best suited for potential peacekeeping duties in Ukraine, reports said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least 200,000 “European peacekeepers” are required to uphold a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
However, Lukashenko argued that Belarusians would be the best fit. “If it comes to that, in the name of trust and fairness, they don’t have anyone except for Belarussian forces,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean that I would deploy my army—70,000 men—as peacekeepers,” Lukashenko said. “But there are no other options. All the rest will tilt the [situation] towards the west or the east. That is why they can only agree to Belarusian peacekeepers.”
Only Belarus is capable of “securing normal ties” between the two countries he claimed. Although he said, he has no intentions of donating troops for a peacekeeping mission.
At the same time, he acknowledged that there is a less likely possibility that Ukraine and its Western backers would agree to the participation of Belarus in the peacekeeping missions
Reports indicate France and the UK are considering sending peacekeepers if a ceasefire is reached. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said earlier this month that he had “no doubt” his country would donate troops.
Meanwhile, Moscow spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that a peacekeeping mission could be discussed if negotiations are resumed.
However, its foreign intelligence agency service has warned that the West could supply troops in Ukraine under the guise of peacekeeping forces to start a new conflict with Russia.
Lukashenko was re-elected for his seventh term in office on Sunday, receiving more than 80% of the vote, reports said.
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