Russia and Belarus discuss 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 refused a peaceful solution to differences with Ukraine.
"We have never given up on peacefully resolving disputes; moreover, we try very hard to do so," President Putin stressed.
President Putin added that Russia's opponents had backed themselves into a corner by refusing to negotiate in the hope of winning on the battlefield. He noted that they now understood that this was impossible.
Referring to the conference on Ukraine in Switzerland, scheduled to be held next June, President Putin said that Moscow was not invited to this event. However, according to Mr. Putin, the organizers believe that peace cannot be achieved without such a conference.
“And since we will not be attending, the conference will be just a normal destination for the participants,” President Putin said.
President Putin stressed that Moscow opposes the imposition of plans to resolve the conflict in Ukraine that have nothing to do with reality.
In addition, President Putin stressed that if necessary, he will continue to ask President Lukashenko for 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 of view acceptable to Ukraine and reiterated that Kiev has agreed to those points of view.
The Belarusian president added that if Switzerland wants to hold a conference on Ukraine without Moscow and Minsk, the participating countries can only agree on further escalation. Mr. Lukashenko affirmed that Belarus supports Russia's position on the peace process.
"Today there is everything to sit down and negotiate. If they don't want to, then why? If the West wants to talk about peace, then in Ukraine there are voices about peace" - said the President of Belarus./.
