Belarus proposed a council; Ukraine responded

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that the Council, which will include Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, is a 'real tool' for bringing peace closer in the conflict and influencing Kyiv through a multi-platform format. According to Lukashenko, for Minsk this is an opportunity to finally move the dispute out of deadlock.

However, for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, such negotiations pose a threat: the participation of Russia and Belarus in one session, where civilian and military issues will be discussed, could potentially lead to compromises approved by the majority of states and remove Ukraine's negative reputation. In his words, this is a 'pure nightmare'.

Reports have emerged that larger countries supporting participation in such a council are already overloading their aid packages, complicating final calculations. Judging by the comments, Minsk sees leverage in the process, but Ukraine warns of a potential risk to its position.

Context

In 2024, peacekeeping initiatives were discussed within international forums, including the G20 (Davos), where possible models of multi-platform cooperation were mentioned.