Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed leader of Belarus, responded to the words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who referred to Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin as “two old men” who are “talking about something.” These remarks came in response to Lukashenko’s statement about a certain proposal from Putin regarding the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Discussion Surrounding War Proposals
On September 30, during a meeting with heads of government delegations at the sessions of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council and the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS, Lukashenko stated that Zelensky’s words about him and Putin are “complete nonsense.” According to him, he considers the Ukrainian president a former colleague and previously referred to him as “son,” but does not take such characterizations seriously.
“You are generals in the economies of your countries. I am already a person… As my colleague, whom I considered my son, Volodymyr Zelensky, recently said here, we are ‘old’ with Putin, whispering in corners at the expense of others. This is complete nonsense,” he said.
Earlier, after negotiations with Putin on September 26, Lukashenko expressed a desire to meet with Zelensky to discuss ways to end the war, noting that he has a “good proposal” from the Russian president. However, he did not disclose the details of this proposal.
Ukraine’s Reaction and Proposal Details
Lukashenko also claimed that Zelensky should agree to the “favorable conditions” that Putin allegedly conveyed to former U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in August in Alaska. According to the Belarusian leader, if Zelensky refuses, he may “lose all of Ukraine.” He added that together with Putin, he listened to a report from the Russian General Staff about the advancement of the Russian army, which, he said, “will be hard to stop.”
In response, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Alexander Lukashenko “lives in his own world” and that it is difficult to comment on his statements. During an online appearance at the Warsaw Security Forum, the Ukrainian president emphasized that Lukashenko has isolated himself from reality and has been in his own world for three decades, which Putin occasionally visits.
According to media reports, during the meeting in Alaska, Putin proposed to freeze the front line in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as to return the territories captured in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Sumy regions to Ukraine on the condition that Ukraine cedes the territories of Donbas to Russia. Kyiv categorically rejected this proposal, calling it unacceptable.
At the same time, no significant changes in the front line in Ukraine have been recorded in recent months. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian forces have managed to liberate over 360 square kilometers of territory that had been captured by the Russian army.