Lukashenka allowed the start of negotiations on Ukraine in the autumn

Peace talks to resolve the conflict in Ukraine may begin in the autumn. This was stated by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

According to Lukashenka, the situation in the conflict zone should change by autumn. “And we will start talking at the negotiating table. Maybe. Maybe not in September, a little later. I don’t want to give out any information, but the Europeans are already talking about it,” the Belarusian leader emphasized (quote from BelTA).

He added that Russia is ready for negotiations and it is necessary to take advantage of the moment, not to wait for the Ukrainian offensive, since “the dynamics are frantic, the development of the situation is instantaneous.” Lukashenko said that Russia would not discuss Crimea and Novorossiya. He urged to sit down at the negotiating table without any conditions.

July 1 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declaredthat the country will be ready for negotiations after reaching the borders of the country in 1991, including the territories of the south-east of the country before their inclusion in Russia and Crimea. Zelensky noted that the borders on February 24, 2022 are “not our borders”, there was a line of contact.

Since the beginning of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the parties have held talks several times. The first three face-to-face meetings took place in Belarus: on February 28, 2022, representatives of Russia and Ukraine met in the Gomel region, and then on March 3 and 6, negotiations continued in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The fourth round of the Russian-Ukrainian dialogue took place on March 29 in Istanbul. But later the process was frozen. On May 17, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said that Ukraine had actually withdrawn from the negotiations.

Earlier, the Kremlin has repeatedly stated that there are no prerequisites for peace talks. June 29, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov pointed outthat there are certain efforts to bring the percentage of achievement of the goals of a special military operation into a political and diplomatic channel, but so far there are no prerequisites for this, so the special operation continues. However, on June 20 emphasizedthat Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement, but because of Kyiv’s position, there is no “stable ground” for them.