September 19, Pozirk. Belarus is ready to cooperate with the Donetsk region just like it did before, when it was part of Ukraine, Alaksandar Łukašenka has told Donetsk separatist leader Denis Pushilin at their meeting in Minsk.
“We [receive] different hints among other things, even from the West, that cooperation is going to offend Ukraine but we do not offend anyone,” his press office quoted him as saying.
Minsk’s cooperation with Donetsk does not violate any international provisions or bilateral agreements, the Belarusian ruler noted, pledging readiness to “cooperate with Ukraine on the same terms as with the Donetsk republic.”
“If you have a problem in construction, we will support and help you,” he said. “If you need to treat someone, to provide education, we are ready to cooperate with you. We are ready to cooperate with Ukraine on the same principles. Therefore, do not put us under pressure. We are peace-loving people.”
In September 2022, Vladimir Putin approved the incorporation of Ukraine’s breakaway regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson into the Russia. A few days earlier, Russia said it had held referenda in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Ukraine, Western countries, and the UN have not recognized these decisions.
Belarus has not formally recognized the independence of Ukraine’s breakaway regions and their incorporation into Russia, but Łukašenka has supported Russia’s war on Ukraine.
In late July 2022, Pushilin visited Belarus’ city of Brest and met local officials prior to meeting Łukašenka in Minsk in April 2023.
Also read: Ukraine recalls envoy over Łukašenka’s meeting with separatist leader
