Lukashenko on Nicolas Maduro: He's a strong man, he won't give up and run away

During an interview between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Greta Conway van Susteren, the wife of US Presidential Special Envoy John Cole, who hosts her own program on Newsmax TV, the status of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was discussed separately.

The Belarusian President commented not only on the US's non-recognition of the recent elections but also on rumors of the Venezuelan leader possibly being granted political asylum in Belarus.

"Maduro isn't the type to drop everything and run away. He's a strong man. He's a 'Chavista,' like Chavez. He's a strong man, a decent, sensible person, with whom you can talk and negotiate. I'm convinced of this because I've known him, so to speak, since childhood," the Belarusian leader emphasized. "Therefore, all this idle talk among journalists about us agreeing on his move to Belarus is untrue. We've never discussed this."

According to Alexander Lukashenko, the Venezuelan issue is currently being discussed more intensively with the Americans than with Venezuelan representatives.

Concluding the topic, he addressed the logic of a possible military scenario, warning against its implementation.

"There are millions of Venezuelans there – strong people. The situation in the country is 50-50, with Maduro slightly in the lead. If you want to unite all Venezuelans around Maduro, start a war against Venezuela. The Americans probably don't want that, and neither does Trump. Under no circumstances should this be done," the Belarusian President concluded.

The President's dialogue with American media took place on the sidelines of two-day Belarusian-American talks. Alexander Lukashenko met with representatives of US President Donald Trump's team, led by US Special Envoy for Belarus John Cole.