{"id":91747,"date":"2024-06-20T13:10:38","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T10:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/91747\/"},"modified":"2024-06-20T13:10:40","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T10:10:40","slug":"putin-uses-lukasenka-to-mislead-west","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/91747\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin uses \u0141uka\u0161enka to mislead West"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Belarus, like Russia, was not invited to a peace summit held in Switzerland on June 15-16, but Minsk was involved in Moscow\u2019s \u00a0political jockeying to prevent the West from forging a broad-based pro-Ukrainian coalition.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (Anna Shvets \/ pexels.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The final document calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and the reinstatement of the 1991 borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Istanbul agreements<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Two months earlier, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka was invited to the Kremlin to present a new Russian peace initiative, a kind of carrot to Ukraine and the West. The Kremlin offered its opponents to revisit the Istanbul agreements, which Russia and Ukraine had allegedly discussed in March 2022.

The deal, if made, would require Ukraine to drop its NATO membership bid and maintain neutral status. Russia expected Kyiv to recognize Crimea as Russian territory and the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk republics as independent states.

The other territories seized by Russia would then be subject to negotiation.

Simply put, Russia was ready to return to the borders of February 23, 2022, before its full-scale assault on Ukraine.

The deal was intended not so much for Ukraine but for the West, which seemed to be hesitant at that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to that plan, the status quo that existed before the war would be legalized, with Ukraine losing Crimea and Donbass.

Moscow thought that the West could buy it and put pressure on Kyiv to end the war. In fact, the proposal was simply intended to muddle the Swiss conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, it was \u0141uka\u0161enka who articulated the idea of revisiting the Istanbul agreements, while Vladimir Putin just nodded his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the one hand, the Belarusian strongman\u2019s presence was supposed to amplify the importance of the Kremlin’s proposal, while on the other, Russia could always back out claiming it had nothing to do with it.

In a more recent development, the Kremlin unofficially proposed a ceasefire, recognizing the front line as a new border and starting negotiations. \u0141uka\u0161enka has repeated that proposal several times, explaining the Russian position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kremlin\u2019s new proposal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shortly before the summit, the Russian leader outlined new conditions for peace: the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions, Ukraine’s neutral status, demilitarization and “denazification.”

In fact, Putin issued an ultimatum, demanding that Ukraine and the West capitulate. While his initial proposal on ceasefire along the current frontline and negotiations could deceive some Western politicians, the demand for unconditional surrender was rejected outright.

In other words, Putin snubbed \u0141uka\u0161enka by rendering his April statements politically insignificant. Moscow used him as a decoy, without any regard for his reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Putin’s puppet in Belarus”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Did \u0141uka\u0161enka realize that he was part of the Kremlin\u2019s cunning diplomatic game?<\/p>\n\n\n\n


By and large, it does not matter. He might even be proud of it. It does not matter in what capacity, but he is in the game. That is important. He is a piece on the chessboard, even if a minor one.

Speaking at the summit, Polish President Andrzej Duda called \u0141uka\u0161enka “Putin’s puppet in Belarus.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forum results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The final document contains strong pro-Ukrainian and anti-Russian messages:

– Quotes UN General Assembly resolutions condemning Russian aggression

– Reaffirms commitment to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every state, including Ukraine, within internationally recognized borders

– Emphasizes that the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, currently controlled by Russia, should be under the full control of Ukraine

– Declares nuclear threats by Russia and Belarus unacceptable

– Insists that all deported and illegally displaced Ukrainian children, as well as all other illegally detained Ukrainian civilians, be allowed to return to Ukraine

This is the maximum Ukraine could achieve. Politicians and diplomats will try to build on the summit results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Propaganda in Russia and Belarus dismissed it as a failure. Ukraine and the West consider it a relative success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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