Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko has denied reports his troops are participating in the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine's border guards and international media outlets claimed Belarusian forces had joined Russian troops in attacking Ukraine.
Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Belarus's state-run media outlet, reported at midday “Belarusian army is not taking part in the Russian special operation in the Donbass, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at an operational meeting with the military in Minsk.”
Lukashenko refuted reports his forces had supported a Russian attack on northern Ukraine around 5am on Thursday. Lukashenko claimed, “Scums! Our troops are not taking any part in this operation,” Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported.
Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported Lukashenko had specified conditions to end the fighting.
“It is necessary to start negotiations in order to prevent this [bloodshed] in Ukraine and stop the escalation, but Russia will never begin negotiations with them if the matters that will be discussed are not reconciled in advance. Russia has specified them for NATO, for America, and for Ukraine. Five or six matters. Two or three matters concerning Ukraine. First, Ukraine's demilitarisation, prevention of Ukraine's accession to NATO, and the cessation of hostilities against Donetsk and Lugansk. Other matters may be added, too,” Lukashenko said.
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Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported Lukashenko offered to hold talks in Minsk involving Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.
“We are Slavs, three Slavonic nations. Let's sit down and decide our fate for the future, once for all. What is the basis for that? If I were [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky, I'd grab the opportunity. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin stated... ‘We are not occupants, we are not going to occupy Ukraine.' What else do you need? It is the basis of negotiations. He truly does not intend to occupy [Ukraine]. Who would need this headache? Nobody is going to install their own forces and governments over there. It is the basis of negotiations. Let's work out the agenda and decisions based on that,” Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko even claimed Ukraine's military was warned by Belarus of the possibility of military action, but took no steps to prevent it.
