Russia and Belarus discuss the peace process in Ukraine.
(Baonghean.vn) - Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Belarusian counterpart Lukashenko to discuss a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
According to RIA Novosti, during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on April 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that Russia has never rejected a peaceful solution to its differences with Ukraine.
"We have never given up on the peaceful resolution of disputes; moreover, we are making every effort to do so," President Putin emphasized.
President Putin added that Russia's adversaries had cornered themselves by refusing to negotiate in the hope of winning on the battlefield. He noted that they now understand this is impossible.
Referring to the conference on Ukraine to be held in Switzerland next June, President Putin said that Moscow was not invited to participate in the event. However, according to Putin, the organizers believe that peace cannot be achieved without such a conference.
"And since we won't be attending, that conference is just another ordinary destination for the participants," President Putin said.
President Putin emphasized that Moscow opposes imposing conflict resolution plans in Ukraine that have nothing to do with reality.
Furthermore, President Putin emphasized that, if necessary, he would continue to offer President Lukashenko consultations on the peace process. The Russian leader agreed with his Belarusian counterpart on the proposal to return to the draft Istanbul Treaty.
President Lukashenko noted that the agreement contains reasonable points acceptable to Ukraine and reiterated that Kyiv had agreed to those points.
The Belarusian president added that if Switzerland wanted to hold a conference on Ukraine without Moscow and Minsk, the participating countries could only agree on escalating the situation. Lukashenko affirmed that Belarus supports Russia's position on the peace process.
"Today, everything is in place for us to sit down and negotiate. If they don't want to, then why not? If the West wants to talk about peace, then in Ukraine there are already voices for peace," said the President of Belarus.
