June 15 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, one of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, said in an interview published on Monday that Russia and Ukraine must compromise to end the war that has raged for more than four years with no end in sight.
Lukashenko, whose ex-Soviet state has been improving ties with Washington, also said that he would not rule out meeting U.S. President Donald Trump.
Lukashenko told Al Arabiya television that it was clear that victory on the battlefield was unrealistic for both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war, though he said Russian forces were still advancing.
“Today, we need to use any steps to reach a peaceful agreement through compromises. For the long term,” he said in the interview, which was republished by Belarus’ Belta news agency.
“If they realise on both sides … you can’t go further, otherwise there will be escalation and an even worse situation … If this sinks into the minds of the fighters and their supporters, it means a compromise can be reached.”
Belarus allowed Russia to use its territory for the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has allowed Moscow to deploy nuclear weapons on its soil.
Russia’s initial thrust towards Kyiv failed, and for most of the past four years it has been making incremental gains in the south and east at massive cost in troops and equipment.
While Russian forces were “advancing step-by-step” in the face of stout Ukrainian defence, both sides faced a shortage of troops, he said.
“Russians are experiencing this shortage. Maybe not like in Ukraine, but it’s there. But that’s the main issue of this conflict - they are running out of people,” Lukashenko said.
UKRAINE HAS “NOTHING TO FEAR” FROM BELARUS
Lukashenko has repeatedly said Belarusian forces would not be deployed in the conflict in Ukraine, while adding that Russia and Belarus would jointly defend themselves.
Zelenskiy says Ukrainian forces have improved their battlefield positions in recent months, and suggested that fresh Russian attacks could be staged from Belarusian territory.
Lukashenko told Al Arabiya that Ukraine had nothing to fear from his country.
“Absolutely nothing to fear. Absolutely. They know it, the soldiers know it. The people of Ukraine know it,” he said. “This topic gets stirred up by political ambitions.”
U.S.-brokered talks have stalled with Washington focused on the Iran conflict. Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for talks with Putin.
Asked by Al Arabiya about the prospect of meeting Trump, Lukashenko said: “I am not ruling out such a meeting.”
But any meeting, he said, should not be limited to human rights issues like prisoner releases. Lukashenko has released hundreds of inmates deemed political prisoners by rights groups, a process that has accelerated under Trump’s administration.
U.S. envoy John Coale, who helped negotiate the releases, suggested in March that Lukashenko could soon visit the United States.
Trump has called Lukashenko a “highly respected” leader - a description at odds with those by exiled Belarus opposition leaders, who denounce him as a dictator.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Stephen Coates)
