Lukashenko: 'Ukraine is a bargaining chip in a big game'

Alexander Lukashenko reiterated his position: "Peace and only peace. But with the full guarantee that they will not toy with us and, as Putin says, will not deceive us again. Because deceiving Russia will first and foremost hit Belarus. We are on the front line of our Fatherland, we understand this perfectly."

The head of state also stated that Ukraine is a bargaining chip in a big game. "This is not really about Ukraine. You know what it's about and who is ultimately fighting whom. So we need to figure this out and somehow advance our interests. Neither we nor Russia need this war to continue," the President said during a meeting with Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov.