Ukraine has not ruled out a meeting with Lukashenko to bring an end to the hostilities
Ukraine does not rule out the possibility of a meeting between top government officials and Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, if such a meeting would help reduce the number of casualties or halt the fighting.
The diplomat explained that under certain circumstances, Ukraine may engage in direct contact with a representative of the opposing side if it would yield practical results toward ending the war.
“If, in the context of the war, there is a need to reduce the number of human casualties or to halt hostilities altogether—and if, to achieve this, the President of Ukraine or a Ukrainian government official needs to meet with a particular adversary or a representative of the opposing side—then such actions will possibly taken,” stated Yaroslav Chornogor.
At the same time, the ambassador emphasized that this does not mean a mandatory meeting with Lukashenko, but only the possibility of such a step if there are compelling reasons.
“I’m not saying this will definitely happen. But if the benefits of this meeting make it worth holding—particularly to save human lives—anything is possible,” the diplomat emphasized.
Chornohor explained that Ukraine’s position is based on the need to distinguish between political and moral principles and matters of the immediate preservation of human lives.
“There is the category of values, and there is the category of survival,” the diplomat noted.
Thus, a possible meeting with Lukashenko would be viewed exclusively as a means to achieve a specific result—ceasing hostilities or saving lives—and not as a change in Ukraine’s position regarding the Belarusian regime.
This was reported by Yaroslav Chornogor, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Prior to this, Ukraine’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sibiga issued a statement marking the sixth anniversary of the protests in Belarus against the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Ukraine is awaiting a signal from the U.S. to resume the peace process, Sibiga said.
