A top aide to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko confirmed on July 30 that Belarus had offered to host a meeting of a trilateral contact group to seek a solution to the current military conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“The problem was where to meet, and so an idea arose that might help
this matter materialize – to hold such a meeting in Minsk. Yesterday the
president of Ukraine had a telephone conversation with the president of
Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and the result of that conversation was
the position of Belarus that it and Lukashenko personally could help
organize such a meeting,” Valeriy Chaly, deputy chief of the
presidential staff, told a briefing.
“I see this as a very partner-like move on the part of the Belarusian
leadership,” Chaly said, adding that he thought such a meeting might
take place within days.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian president’s office said Poroshenko had
asked Lukashenko to help organize a contact group meeting in Minsk on July 31. Lukashenko supported a proposal by Poroshenko for Minsk to be
the meeting venue.
