Overview
- Lukashenko, who spoke in an Al Arabiya interview published on Monday, urged Russia and Ukraine to accept compromises and pursue a long-term peaceful settlement.
- He said battlefield victory is unrealistic for both sides and warned that both armies face manpower shortages, saying Russian forces are 'running out of people.'
- The Belarusian president reiterated that Belarus will not deploy its own troops and told Ukrainians they have 'absolutely nothing to fear' from his country.
- There was no immediate official reply from Kyiv and the Kremlin did not issue a substantive response, while U.S.-brokered talks remain stalled as Washington focuses on the Iran crisis.
- Belarus’s past role hosting Russian forces and strategic assets gives Lukashenko’s call regional weight, and the statement could modestly shift diplomacy if Moscow or Kyiv respond; the key things to watch are any Kremlin reaction and whether Kyiv accepts outside mediation.