Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Lukashenko apologized for strikes from Belarussian territory

In an interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that back in 2022, just as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine broke out, he had an interesting phone conversation with Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko. During the call, Lukashenko apologized for missile strikes launched from his country and suggested Zelenskyy hit an oil refinery in Belarus.

«And he apologized. And he said that it was not me; missiles were launched from my territory, and Putin was the one launching them. These are his words. I have witnesses… I told him, ‘You are a murderer too, I’m just saying.’ And he told me, ‘You must understand, you can’t fight the Russians.’ I told him that we never fought them. I said, ‘How did you allow this?’ Then he replied, ‘Hit the refinery, you know how much I care about it.’ I told him, ‘What are you on about?’” Zelenskyy said.

The talk lasted over three hours. Zelenskyy spoke Ukrainian via interpreter, although he still pronounced some phrases in Russian and didn’t mince words.

He also answered Fridman’s question on Zelenskyy’s readiness to negotiate at one table with the U.S. and Russian presidents. The Ukrainian president explained that his initial priority is to discuss a truce face-to-face with the new U.S. president.

“We sit down, first of all with Trump. We agree with him on how we can stop the war, stop Putin. If I am sure that he can offer strong security guarantees together with Europe, then we can talk to the Russians. That’s right. Not just the three of us sitting down at once,» Zelenskyy highlighted.

Last spring, Lukashenko stated that Belarus didn’t pose a threat to anyone but was preparing for war. He then emphasized that the country’s armed forces were undergoing the necessary training.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago on Feb. 24, 2022, citing the «demilitarization and denazification» of Ukraine as the primary goals of the invasion. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin also recognized the independence of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR).