Belarusian dictator and Kremlin vassal Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday warned that Ukraine may “disappear as a state,” he said in an online interview with Kremlin blogger Pavel Zarubin, saying that Zelensky needs to lead his country away from its desire to join the West, and “calm down” in terms of his requests to receive US long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Zelensky “needs to sit down and negotiate” and “act urgently” to bend to Kremlin demands, he said.
The Ukrainian president has had two talks in two days with US President Donald Trump, as Kremlin has been on edge about the potential of Kyiv receiving Tomahawks.
In his chat with the Kremlin propagandist, Lukashenko said he used to “blame European leaders and Europe for their inability to reach an agreement”, but in recent days, he has been supposedly receiving “a ton of information” that “the problem is not with the United States, which is very keen to move forward here, nor with Russia, which is ready to move forward, nor with European leaders, but rather with Volodymyr Zelensky.”
The Belarusian president said in his interview that he believes that “strong pressure” could be exerted on Zelensky by Moscow and others, and then “appropriate decisions will be made under this pressure.”
“But actions must be taken urgently. Russia is advancing on the front line, and I say this responsibly, because I observe this every day, and it could lead to the disappearance of Ukraine as a state,” he said.
He added that Kyiv’s allies “see themselves in Ukraine’s west” and “are ready to take part of Ukraine, as was the case before the start of the Great Patriotic War,” referencing the Soviet term for World War II and alluding to Moscow’s propagandist talking points that its unprovoked invasion in 2022 was somehow the result of a “Nazi” conspiracy.
“Therefore, the scenario is very serious,” he continued. “I would like Ukraine’s president to listen to my suggestions and understand that no one will bring happiness to Ukraine except the Slavic states, so it is necessary to sit down and negotiate.”
His assertions misrepresented the history of peace talks, as Kyiv has repeatedly made itself available for negotiations, but even Trump has made it clear that Moscow has been disingenuous about its desire to bring peace.
Commenting on the possibility of the United States providing Ukraine with Tomahawk long-range missiles, Lukashenko said that “we need to calm down in this regard.”
“Our friend [US President] Donald [Trump] has a certain tactic for dealing with the most pressing issues. That is why he sometimes puts pressure on the relevant authorities and people, sometimes acts more harshly, and then eases up a little and steps back. So we should not take it at face value that tomorrow it will all be launched,” Lukashenko added.