Lukashenko called Ukraine a bargaining chip in a big game

Ukraine is a bargaining chip in a big game. This was announced on June 25 by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobyov.

"Ukraine today is a bargaining chip in a big game," Lukashenko is quoted as saying on the Telegram channel Pool One.

At the same time, he stressed that Minsk does not want to fight with Ukrainians, who, in turn, do not want to fight with Belarusians. At the same time, the head of state drew attention to the fact that Ukraine has concentrated territorial defense forces on the border with Belarus.

In addition, Lukashenko spoke about a meeting with representatives of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, at which he warned the Ukrainian delegation that Kiev's attempt to involve Minsk in the conflict would instantly change its quality.

"By the way, we received an answer: the president and they understand this. So let's negotiate, guys. We need to negotiate substantially," the Belarusian leader concluded.

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On the same day, the Minister of Defense of Belarus, Lieutenant General Viktor Khreni, said that the republic fully feels an outright attempt to involve it in military operations in Ukraine. As the minister noted, recent events force us to draw historical parallels with the pre-war 1941 year.

The governor of the Gomel region, Ivan Krupko, said at a meeting with Lukashenko the day before that the situation on the border of Belarus and Ukraine in the region remains controlled and stable, despite certain difficulties. During the meeting, the president appealed to the residents of the region not to show excessive concern.

Zelensky said on June 24 that Belarus had turned off the repeaters, which were allegedly used to adjust strikes on Ukraine from the territory of the republic. According to him, they stopped working on June 22. Zelensky also noted that he does not know for sure whether they have been dismantled, but receives daily reports on the situation.