The Ukrainian counteroffensive turned out to be a “serious defeat”, and the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was necessary to divert attention from it. Such notice Express Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with the secretaries of the security councils of the CSTO countries. The main fragments of Lukashenko’s speech on Thursday can be found in Russian media material.
On the destruction of the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station
According to Lukashenka, the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station was an attempt to hide the failures of the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“You can probably guess who blew up the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. They say a thief’s hat is on fire. Who was the first to shout about it? It is clear that the Ukrainian side had to hide the three days of the “counterattack”, when almost two hundred armored vehicles were destroyed and more than 2,000 people died. Therefore – Kakhovka, Kakhovka, but no one talks about it. And you can see everything,” Lukashenko said.
He added that the United States had taken a “cautious position”. “They immediately said, ‘We can’t say who did it yet. We have to figure it out.” Think, why would he? the Belarusian leader noted.
On the counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Lukashenka said the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive in the first three days had turned into a “serious defeat”, and now the West is wondering “what to do next”.
“What we see and the information I received from the President of Russia completely coincide. In three days about three dozen tanks were destroyed – advancing, Ukrainians. Defending is easier than attacking, you understand. 120 or 130 infantry fighting vehicles in three days. And the worst thing is that more than 2,100 Ukrainians died. 2,100! There are just over 70 on this side. Here is the result of this attempt of “counter-attack”, declared the president.
As Lukashenka noted, he always said “that the ‘counterattack’ is big disinformation.” “There is no ‘counterattack’ and there cannot be,” he added.
On the West’s reluctance to allow peace talks
Lukashenko says Russia and Belarus are in favor of negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
“We have to sit down at the negotiating table. This is the position of the Russian president, it was the Belarusian position from the very beginning. So the world and only the world. But the world is not necessary. The West clung to Ukraine like reinforced concrete to crush Russia and wipe its feet,” he said.
However, Lukashenka stressed, this will not happen. “You know the Russians, you know us here – we won’t kneel. We must therefore negotiate as much as possible. It will get worse,” he warned.
According to Lukashenka, Moscow and Minsk “proposed a peace process” in the first days of hostilities. Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul in 2022 resulted in a draft agreement “with big concessions” from Russia, he added.
“Why didn’t you go further? Because, most likely, Ukraine did not make these decisions at the time. What to talk about now. The current moment is characterized by the fact (yesterday we spoke with Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin), we have absolutely similar opinions) that the West, fighting there – naturally, if there were no weapons of the West and mercenaries, everything would have ended a long time ago – he is waiting for results “counter-offensive”, Lukashenko explained.
On the causes of the conflict in Ukraine
At the same time, Lukashenka urged not to search for the reasons for what is happening in Ukraine yet.
“Sorry to be immodest, as someone already experienced in politics, I would just like to ask and caution you against trying to look for reasons now. Sooner or later we will talk about the causes of this conflict. But now the most important issue is to end this conflict,” he said.
About his proposal to Putin
Lukashenka too declared that he wants to propose to Russian President Vladimir Putin “to build an action program” based on the current situation in the world.
“You remember the experience of the Soviet Union: we were under oppression, nobody complained to us, they tried to strangle us. But we, in some ways closed within our borders, were functioning perfectly, were self-sufficient,” he said.
According to him, Russia and Belarus should be self-sufficient, “so that we are not constantly brought to our knees by the dollar, another currency”.
“And so we do something all the time and look back to the East or to the West – how can we continue to live and can we live without the East, without the West. We have to use the experience of the past in order to ensure the normal life of our space in the future,” he said.
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