Political Expert on Talks with Lukashenko: “Better This Than Getting an Additional Front Line”
Political expert and Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Oleksandr Musiienko explained that Belarus needs to be taken out of the war and that, to achieve this, it is worth even meeting with Lukashenko and holding negotiations with him, reports Politeka.
He said this in his blog.
According to the expert, Oleksandr Chornyi, Ukraine’s ambassador-at-large, says that communication between Kyiv and Minsk remains in place. He cited prisoner exchanges conducted through Belarusian territory and the work of the Ukrainian embassy there as examples. He also did not rule out a direct meeting between Ukrainian representatives and Lukashenko or other representatives of the regime if this could save lives or help bring hostilities to an end.
“That’s interesting. The Belarus factor has come up before; it has been actively discussed for several weeks now. Remember the report that someone from the Ukrainian authorities may have visited Lukashenko? He himself spoke about it, saying that Ukrainian representatives had allegedly come to Minsk and that discussions had taken place. I think the key thing is to get Belarus out of the war, force it to remove Russian relay stations, prevent Belarusian territory from being used to launch another offensive against Kyiv or other regions, and obtain at least assurances that Belarus will not be used again for aggression against Ukraine,” Oleksandr Musiienko explains.
In the expert’s view, the proposal for a maritime ceasefire may have been conveyed through Belarus or Turkey. In other words, he says, the parties are looking for room for maneuver, communication, and negotiations. He also recalls that a year ago, American representatives were actively traveling to Minsk, engaging with Lukashenko and enticing him with the prospect of sanctions being lifted, and that similar steps are now being seen again.
“I’ve already seen comparisons and assessments online suggesting that this is almost Minsk-3 in the making. I wouldn’t make premature judgments or overstate this channel of communication, but clearly, it exists. Ukraine is not interested in escalating the situation. From a security perspective, it is better this way than to get an additional front line. We need to act pragmatically, but at the same time, this does not mean that these are some kind of super-friendly relations. Of course not,” Oleksandr Musiienko concludes.