Belarusian President Surprised by War Delay – NRK Urix – Foreign News & Documentaries

– I want to stress it again. I feel like this process took time.

The Belarusian president says in one 90 minutes interview With the American news agency AP.

It’s been two and a half months since Alexander Lukashenko allowed Russian forces to pass through his country to attack neighboring Ukraine.

He still advocated the invasion, believing that it was Kyiv that provoked Moscow. He just didn’t think it would take that long.

– But I am not knowledgeable enough to say that everything went according to plan, says Lukashenko.

Unacceptable nuclear attack on Ukraine

The President of Belarus says that only his country supports Russia, while about 50 countries support Ukraine.

At the same time, he is completely against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

– Not acceptable because it is right next to us. We are not on the other side of the sea, like the United States, says Lukashenko.

It expresses concern about the future of the entire world in the possible use of nuclear weapons.

– Whether Russia is capable of this is a question you should ask the Russian leadership.

The Russian authorities refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons.

In February, Vladimir Putin He asked the country’s defense minister to place nuclear weapons in so-called “combat readiness”.

The country has the largest number of nuclear warheads in the world. According to the Swedish Peace Research Institute Sipri, Russia has 6,255 warheads against 5,550 US warheads.

In the weeks leading up to the attack on Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian forces trained together in Belarus.

Immediately after the attack on Ukraine, Belarus held a referendum in which the people, according to the authorities, voted in favor of a constitutional amendment Russian nuclear weapons are allowed in the country.

We call it war and pray for peace

While the Russian president describes the war in Ukraine as a “special military operation,” his Belarusian counterpart describes the invasion as a war.

Lukashenko believes that Russia cannot by definition lose this war.

He also expressed that he himself wanted peace.

– We are categorically against every war.

Lukashenko also claims that he has done a lot to achieve peace. He claims that it was thanks to him that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia began.

Despite numerous rounds of negotiations, Russia’s attack on Ukraine continued.

loyal little brother of Putin

Lukashenko, 67, has been in power in Belarus for 28 years. He said he calls 69-year-old Vladimir Putin his older brother.

According to Lukashenko, no other world leader has a closer, more open or friendly relationship with Putin than he does.

Relations have been especially close since in 2020 Lukashenko needed Putin’s help to take drastic measures mass protests Against his rule after what was considered a rigged presidential election.

Brutal behavior against the protesters has led to international criticism, sanctions, and even closer ties with Russia.

Blame the United States

Now support for Russia’s attack on Ukraine has led to new sanctions against Belarus. Among other things, the European Union has imposed sanctions on banks and the financial sector.

Norway joined on Thursday The latest measures adopted by the European Union in early April.

New sanctions will also be imposed next week. There is talk of a ban on the transport of Belarusian goods on Norwegian roads.

Lukashenko, for his part, believes that the West, especially the United States, is responsible for the war in Ukraine.

The United States wants to seize the moment, tie its allies to it, and plunge Russia into war with Ukraine. He claims that their goal is to look after Russia before and after China.