Status: 03/31/2023 3:33 p.m
Belarusian ruler Lukashenko has called for a ceasefire and immediate peace negotiations in Ukraine. Russia, on the other hand, declared that the “military special operation” would continue.
Russia has responded cautiously to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. The call has been noted and will be discussed with Lukashenko in the coming week, said Presidential Office spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
However, the attacks in Ukraine would not be stopped: “Nothing has changed: the military special operation continues because it is the only way to achieve the goals set by our country,” said Peskov.
Warnings to Ukraine
Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had previously called for an “unconditional” ceasefire in Ukraine. “It has to stop now before it escalates any further,” Lukashenko said in a speech to the nation. “All territorial issues, reconstruction, security and other issues should and can be settled at the negotiating table,” he said.
He warned Ukraine of the widely expected counter-offensive to recapture occupied territories. This would make negotiations between the governments in Moscow and Kiev impossible. The troops are to remain in their current positions, with no further arms deliveries from the West to Ukraine. Lukashenko called Kiev’s preconditions for talks, including the withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied territory in Ukraine, “ridiculous”.
At the same time, Lukashenko warned that the Russian defense industry was picking up speed. Ukraine will be destroyed as soon as the industry is running at full speed.
Lukashenko: West wants to destroy Belarus
He further claimed that the West was planning to invade Belarus from Poland and destroy the country. Therefore, the announced stationing of Russian nuclear weapons in his country is a precautionary protective measure. Recently there have been concerns that Belarus could intervene in the war itself.
Moscow had declared that it wanted to station tactical nuclear weapons in the neighboring country. This had sparked criticism and concern in Western countries. Lukashenko has now declared his readiness to station strategic Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. “If necessary, Putin and I will decide whether to station strategic weapons here,” Lukashenko said in a televised speech to the nation. “We will stop at nothing to defend our countries, our states and our people,” he added.
Strategic nuclear weapons have a greater range and destructive power than tactical nuclear weapons. The strategic weapons were developed to devastate large cities and metropolitan areas. For example, they can be delivered to the target area with ICBMs or long-range bombers. Militarily, stationing in Belarus would have no advantages over stationing in Russia.