MINSK. Feb 18 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said his country might recognize the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) together with Russia, provided certain preconditions.
Russian President Vladimir "Putin and I will agree what to do to the advantage of both Russia and Belarus. But this would be a common decision," the state news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko as saying while attending the Belarusian-Russian joint exercise Union Resolve 2022 at the Osipovichi Range.
Belarus and Russia will discuss the need for recognizing the DPR and LPR together, he said.
Lukashenko also said he is confident that the conflict in Donbas could be stopped if the Ukrainian leadership displayed enough will.
"If the Ukrainian leadership wished it, the conflict in Donbas could be stopped," Lukashenko said. He said he was engaged in the efforts to handle the conflict himself and therefore believes his opinion matters.
"What can we do? There is President Putin and there is [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky. We'll do whatever they want. The only goal is peace in Donbas, to make sure people don't die anymore and don't fear to look into the sky. We stand ready to do all we can. There is no escaping that," he said.