Belarus’s Lukashenko: “Brotherly” Ukraine fights for its independence

“Brotherly” Ukraine is fighting for its independence today, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said, as he delivered his speech at a ceremony awarding doctorate and professorship certificates to academicians and university teachers on January 26.

“Our independence cost us little, while other people had to fight for it real hard. And today it is our brotherly Ukraine who has been fighting. We, for our part, must not allow ourselves to fight. We are a peace-loving nation,” the official webpage of the presidential administration quoted Lukashenko.

He said Belarus faced many challenges. “We can overcome them only if we are united,” he said. “And, thanks God, our fight mainly lies in the field of economy, it’s not military or political.”

Ever since the start of the confrontation between pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine, Lukashenko has pursued a neutral path, making it a point to maintain good relations with both Russia and Ukraine. He was the initiator of the Minsk Talks, the negotiation format involving heads of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France that yielded a ceasefire and a roadmap for resolving the conflict in February 2015.