Belarus president believes US arms supplies to Ukraine will push Russia to respond

MINSK, April 2. /TASS/. Peace in
Ukraine is still a long way off and the
United States should immediately
engage in the negotiation process,
Belarusian P
resident Alexander
Lukashenko has told Bloomberg in an interview published by the presidential press service on Thursday.
The Belarusian leader answered
questions concerning the progress in
the Ukrainian settlement after the
Normandy Four leaders (Russia,
Ukraine, Germany and France)
meeting in Minsk.
"There are too many developments
and various tendencies there. To be
brief: I would not like it to be the calm before the storm. There are certain concerns and, I would say even more,
definite tendencies and facts, factors
that show there is still a long way for
Ukraine to peace," Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko believes that Washington should participate in the negotiation process.
"I believe that without the Americans
no stability is possible in Ukraine… if
they [the Americans] want peace and
stability they should immediately
engage in that process," the Belarusian president said.
The Belarusian leader said the US plays a decisive role in this process both for the domestic political situation in
Ukraine and sitting down to talk with
Russia on Ukraine.
"If Russia and the United States decide to have peace there, in eastern Ukraine, the issue will be settled once and for all," he stressed.
Lukashenko believes that if
Washington provides Ukraine with
serious armament, this will lead to the escalation of the conflict. "It would push Russia to respond," he said.