The AP Interview: Belarus admits Russia’s war ‘drags on’
Associated PressMINSK, Belarus — Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, but he said he didn’t expect the 10-week-old conflict to “drag on this way.” He also spoke out against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine but wouldn’t say if Russian President Vladimir Putin had plans to launch such a strike. “Whether or not Russia is capable of that — is a question you need to ask the Russian leadership.” Russia “can’t by definition lose this war,” Lukashenko said, noting that Belarus is the only country standing by Moscow, while “as many as 50 states have joined forces” on Ukraine’s side. Top Belarus opposition activist Pavel Latushka dismissed Lukashenko’s calls for peace on Thursday, saying they “look absurd after more than 600 missiles were fired from the territory of Belarus, and the country became a platform for aggression.” He added: “Minsk deserves the harshest Western sanctions.” Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya echoed Latushka’s sentiment, calling Lukashenko a “co-aggressor” and saying he is “trying to change his image of an arsonist into that of a firefighter and peacekeeper.” Lukashenko told AP that his country poses no danger to others, even as its military conducted drills this week. “Today it’s not Zelenskyy who’s running Ukraine – no offense, that’s my point of view, maybe I’m wrong,” Lukashenko said, adding that if U.S. President Joe Biden said so, “everything will stop within a week.” ___ Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine