Lukashenko says Belarus not planning to enter war, ready to meet Zelensky

Self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that Belarus does not intend to become involved in the war in Ukraine and expressed readiness to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking to journalists, Lukashenko said Belarus would only be drawn into the conflict if its own territory came under attack, Ukrinform reports, citing the Belarusian state news agency BELTA.

"As for his [Zelensky's] statements that Belarus will be dragged into the war, I have just said: Belarus will only be involved in one case – if aggression is committed against our territory. In that case, we [with Russia] will defend our homeland together, from Brest to Vladivostok, where the two states are located," Lukashenko said.

He stressed that Belarus has no intention of entering the war in Ukraine.

"If we are drawn into the war, including against Ukraine, it will happen only in one case – if aggression is committed against us. We are not going to get involved in the war in Ukraine. There is no need for it, neither from a civilian nor a military standpoint," he added.

Lukashenko also said he was prepared to meet Zelensky "at any point" in Ukraine or Belarus to discuss bilateral relations.

Earlier, Zelensky stated that Russia had intensified contacts with Lukashenko in an attempt to persuade Belarus to participate in new aggressive operations. The Ukrainian president also said military planning related to possible Russian offensive operations in the Chernihiv-Kyiv direction had been discussed during a meeting of the Ukrainian Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff.