Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko says his country fully supports China’s Ukraine war proposal

A close ally of Vladimir Putin says his country fully supports China’s recent Ukraine war proposal - which undermines Russia’s position.

Belarus strongman and close Kremlin ally Alexander Lukashenko has said during a visit to China that his country fully supports an initiative put forward by Beijing to achieve peace in Ukraine.

“Today’s meeting is taking place at a very difficult time, which calls for new, unorthodox approaches and responsible political decisions,” Lukashenko told China’s President Xi Jinping.

“They should be aimed at first and foremost preventing a slide into a global confrontation that will see no winners,” he said.

“That is why Belarus is actively coming up with peace proposals, and fully supports the initiative on international security you have put forward,” Lukashenko told Xi in remarks released by his aides.

He also said that Belarus wanted to increase technological cooperation with China.

The state visit to the Chinese capital by Lukashenko - a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin - comes as Beijing plays an increasingly prominent role on the sidelines of Moscow’s year-long offensive in Ukraine.

China has framed itself as a neutral party for much of the war, while retaining close ties with Russia, and last week unveiled a 12-point paper to bring peace.

Belarus strongman and close Kremlin ally Alexander Lukashenko said during a visit to China Wednesday that his country fully supports an initiative put forward by Beijing to achieve peace in Ukraine.

Lukashenko allowed Russia to use Belarus as a staging ground for its Ukraine assault, but has so far held back on sending Belarusian troops to Ukraine.

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China called for a ceasefire between the two sides and for peace talks to commence as part of a 12-point plan to end the war.

China’s Foreign Ministry also called for the end of Western sanctions on Russia, measures to ensure nuclear facilities, humanitarian corridors for civilians to flee the conflict and a process to ensure the continuation of grain exports.

“All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible,” the paper released on China’s Foreign Ministry’s website stated.

In the proposal, China indicated its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons in the conflict, as well as the threat of deploying them.

“Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed,” the paper said.

China also urged for civilians to be protected and for international law to be followed.

Lukashenko also said that Belarus wanted to increase technological cooperation with China.

“Parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities,” it said.

According to the United Nations human rights office, at least 8,000 non-combatants have been confirmed killed in the war in Ukraine and more than 13,000 have been injured.

Russia has also launched attacks against more than 250 Ukrainian hospitals since its Feb. 24, 2022, invasion, leaving nearly one in 10 Ukrainian hospitals damaged, according to a recent analysis by five different non-governmental organisations.

Despite the peace proposal, US officials have not ruled out that China could be preparing to provide lethal military aid to Russia.