During a Belarus' Security Council meeting, Alexander Lukashenko, the country's President, said Minsk must participate in talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives to negotiate the current military conflict.
According to reports, the Belarusian leader said instructions were given to the Foreign Minister, Vladimir Makei, to implement. The minister said that Lukashenko himself "must participate in the (final) meeting."
"There can be no separate agreements behind Belarus's back," said Belarus' President. "If we have been involved in it, first of all, by Western countries, it is natural that the position of Belarus has to be expressed at these talks," he said.
As Russia has sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine from both Russian and Belarusian territory since the beginning of the special military operation, he said he is "absolutely convinced" that Russia would understand its petition.
Lukashenko has said Belarus's armed forces are not taking part and will not take part in the conflict and added on Thursday that Belarus had been unfairly labeled "an accomplice of the aggressor" by Ukraine and Western countries because of its involvement in the Russian military operation. As a result, Minsk has been included in the coercive measures taken against Russia in response to its operations in Ukraine.
"We do not need this war," said Lukashenko. "Because as a result of this conflict between two Slavic peoples, we are the ones who may suffer the most."
Last March 29 was the latest round of Russia-Ukraine talks for negotiation of a cease to the ongoing military conflict, where Kiev representatives presented written proposals to be considered by Moscow as the first concrete commitment to end the bilateral conflict.