Russia suggested on Friday that Belarus – a country that used it as a springboard for its invasion of Ukraine – should be among the nations providing security guarantees for Kyiv in the future.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the remarks after it emerged last week that Ukraine was seeking specific security guarantees in peace talks, including promises of military assistance during a future conflict by the “leading armies” of the neutral regime.
“At the request of the Ukrainian side, its neutral, non-bloc, non-nuclear regime should be accompanied by security guarantees,” Lavrov said on Friday, according to Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 11.
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“We suggested that the Republic of Belarus should, of course, be among such guarantor countries,” he added.
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Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that he wanted his country to take part in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, saying “there can be no negotiations without Belarus’ participation,” the Associated Press reported.
Belarus was also one of the countries that voted against the US-led proposal, which was finally suspended by Russia at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Fox News’ Michael Lee contributed to this report.
