Lukashenko Discusses Putin's Possible Regrets Over Special Military Operation

Lukashenko Discusses Putin's Possible Regrets Over Special Military Operation

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus stated that NATO's eastward expansion is not the primary cause of the conflict in Ukraine. He made these comments during an interview with well-known blogger Mario Nawfal, as reported by BELTA.

"There is always a choice. And perhaps Putin had such a choice (whether to initiate the Special Military Operation or not). The issue is not so much about NATO's expansion eastward, but about the threats that were being created in Ukraine. NATO's eastward expansion did not lead him to attack Belarus in response. That could have been a potential response to NATO's expansion. Yet, as you say, he attacked Ukraine. Why? Because he perceived threats to Russia from Ukraine, and those threats were publicly directed at him. This is one of the major reasons for what happened," Lukashenko stated.

When asked whether Putin regrets the situation today, Lukashenko responded, "It seems to me that Putin (we haven’t discussed this topic, but I know him well) did not anticipate that this would escalate into such a war. Otherwise, he would not have pursued negotiations. When he saw that a large number of people were dying, Putin immediately sought negotiations to stop the conflict, to reach an agreement. Agreements on NATO, on demilitarization, and on denazification, as he spoke of. About not allowing Russians to be killed and not suppressing the Russian language in Ukraine. These were all on the agenda. He wanted to negotiate when he realized what it had turned into. Therefore, he probably regrets it primarily because it has resulted in such a full-scale conflict, a war, which he likely did not expect."