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Lukashenko: “We Will Be Next to Russia” Despite Calling for Peace With Ukraine
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The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, insisted that Minsk holds a "peaceful" position toward Ukraine, even as he warned that the character of the war would change instantly should Kyiv try to draw Belarus into the fighting.
The remarks were published by the Ukrainian outlet ZN.UA on its Telegram channel, which carried an extended statement by the Belarusian leader on his posture toward Ukraine and Russia.
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Lukashenko recounted a recent meeting in Minsk with representatives of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claiming he had asked them to relay a warning to Kyiv.
"If in Kyiv they think they can talk to us this way and drag us into war, then the quality of this war will instantly change," he stated, adding that "this war will be completely different."
Despite the threat, Lukashenko framed his overall stance as conciliatory.
"Therefore, our position is peaceful," he declared, urging Kyiv toward talks. "Let's negotiate, guys. We need to negotiate substantially," he noted, calling for "peace and only peace," but only with guarantees that Ukraine "won't play games" with Minsk.
He maintained that Belarus had no appetite for war with its neighbor, noting that much of Ukraine's defense rested on territorial troops drawn from ordinary workers. "We do not want to fight with Ukrainians either," Lukashenko emphasized.
At the same time, he left no doubt about Minsk's alignment, declaring that "in any situation, we will be next to Russia; it cannot be otherwise."
He cast Belarus as exposed on Moscow's behalf, warning that "deceiving Russia will hit elarus" and describing his country as standing "on the front line of our fatherland." He also referenced repeated discussions of the war with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin.
The conciliatory language sits uneasily against Belarus's own military trajectory. In May, Lukashenko announced that the country would selectively mobilize military units to prepare them for possible combat.
The pledge followed large-scale readiness inspections involving more than 6,000 reservists and personnel, as well as a new state armament program running from 2026 through 2030.
Independent assessments of Minsk's force structure point in the same direction.
Belarus has increased its contract-soldier numbers by roughly 1.5 times since 2022 and built a mobilization reserve estimated at around 289,000. A new Southern Operational Command facing Ukraine could field more than 80,000 troops, alongside plans for a "people's militia" of up to 150,000.
Belarusian territory has also served as launch infrastructure for Russian strikes on Ukraine, drawing direct pressure from Kyiv. Zelenskyy issued a seven-day ultimatum on June 19, demanding the removal of Russian drone guidance equipment from Belarusian territory and warning that Ukraine would act independently if Minsk failed to comply.
Signal repeaters used to steer Shahed drones toward Ukrainian targets reportedly ceased operating on June 22. It remained unconfirmed whether the hardware, earlier traced to the Homiel and Brest regions, was removed or merely switched off.
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