Video: Lukashenko Calls on Ukrainians to Pick Berries
On August 15, Belarus’s self-proclaimed president, Alexander Lukashenko, once again claimed that Minsk is allegedly not the aggressor in the war against Ukraine. During his speech, he also disparagingly referred to Ukrainians as “poor souls.”
According to Lukashenko, before the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians allegedly visited Belarus regularly, particularly to pick berries. He claims that after the Russian invasion began, Minsk did not completely close the border to Ukrainian citizens.
“Come on over. We’re not aggressors at all,” Lukashenko declared.
At the same time, his words contradict Belarus’s role in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Belarusian territory was used by Russian troops as one of the routes for the advance on Kyiv in February 2022. Military operations and missile strikes against Ukraine were also carried out from Belarusian territory.
Furthermore, following the 2020 presidential election, Lukashenko’s regime carried out large-scale repression against the opposition and citizens who opposed the government’s official policies. Human rights organizations have repeatedly reported mass detentions, criminal prosecutions, and the imprisonment of Belarusian opponents of the regime.
Despite this, Lukashenko continues to publicly deny Belarus’s responsibility for participating in Russian aggression and to portray Minsk as a party that is allegedly uninvolved in the war.
It should be noted that Ukraine has not ruled out a meeting with Lukashenko to bring an end to the hostilities.
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 U.S. initiative to resume the peace process, according to Sibiga.
