Putin says talks with Ukraine are at a “dead end” 

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday strongly defended Russian actions in Ukraine, claiming that if Russia was “just a bit late with its army operation, the Russian territory would have suffered a crushing assault at its borders.” 

“If any individual needs to scream that we went someplace we should not have, began one thing we should not have, simply think about what you’ll have had occurred had you been no less than two weeks or one month late,” Lukashenko advised reporters throughout a joint information convention along with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin following a gathering between the 2 leaders in Russia’s far east Amur Area. 

Some context: There is no such thing as a proof that Ukraine was going to assault Russia. Since final 12 months, Russia was tightening its army grip round Ukraine, amassing tens of 1000’s of troopers, in addition to tools and artillery, on the nation’s doorstep. Russian forces held joint drills with their Belarusian allies earlier than the invasion.

The Belarusian chief went on in charge “Washington, Brussels and London” for inflicting the disaster in Ukraine, and he stated the financial sanctions in opposition to Russia had been “psychological operations” organized by the UK. He additionally accused the US of instigating Poland and Baltic nations in opposition to Moscow. 

“Our current historical past has not seen such a harmful second in our relationship with the West as at this time. … A few of you stated the Chilly Battle is over and we will stay in a brand new civilized period primarily based on mutual understanding and supremacy of worldwide legislation. We thought so, however the West did not; they did not destroy us then, in order that they determined to begin now,” he stated. 

Lukashenko additionally referenced Putin’s unfounded claims of “denazification” as a part of his justification to invade Ukraine.

“There was once a public determine within the West within the 30s, 40s of the final century who additionally tried to put in a brand new order and we all know nicely how that ended. So, I believe Washington should return to the current previous. Our fathers and forefathers endured then and had been victorious and so lets be victorious as we’ve got been in our frequent 1,000-year historical past,” he stated.    

Putin stated Belarus was being “punched a minimum of Russia proper now.”

“We by no means had any doubts that if any individual is to supply their shoulder to us it will be Belarus,” he stated. 

Concerning the impact of sanctions in destabilizing Russian-Belarusian ties, Putin stated they’re “fully futile.”

“This trick is unquestionably not going to work on us. We’ll solely turn out to be stronger,” he stated, including that “the (injury) that our enemies had been relying on has not occurred.” 

The measures agreed by the 2 leaders embody tasks for a typical electrical energy market, favorable costs for oil and gasoline for Belarusian home consumption — with funds in rubles, the joint development of a nuclear energy plant that needs to be commissioned by the top of 2021 and a rise in safety on western borders, together with joint army workouts.