Akshay DidwaniyaBelarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ruled out playing peacemaker between Russia and Ukraine, saying Minsk has its own serious stake in how the conflict is resolved.
Lukashenko rules out a mediator role
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Belarus does not want to act as a mediator in talks over Ukraine. He explained that his country has real interests of its own riding on the outcome.
“I don’t want to play this role of mediator, especially since our interests in these negotiations are decent, serious,” he said.
He made the remarks while speaking at the Fourth Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security.
A major gathering in Minsk
The security conference is being held in Minsk on November 3 and 4. More than 600 participants from 50 countries are taking part in this year’s edition.
Among the attendees are Lukashenko himself and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Leaders and officials from the Union State, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the OSCE and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are also present.
Belarus keeps its distance from the mediator role
Lukashenko’s comments suggest Belarus sees itself as a stakeholder in the Ukraine conflict rather than a neutral go between. His government has repeatedly hosted international dialogue on regional security even as it avoids claiming a formal mediating function in the Ukraine negotiations.
The Minsk conference itself reflects that balancing act, bringing together senior Russian officials and representatives of major regional blocs for discussions on Eurasian security, even as Lukashenko publicly steps back from any Ukraine talks mediator title.
Aditya Didwaniya
Pratik Agrawal
Mayur Mohta