Lukashenko on special military operation: Putin regrets, but he's right

Russian President Vladimir Putin is confident in the correctness of a special military operation. Alexander Lukashenko said this in an interview with the British BBC TV channel on October 23.

"There are different situations in this conflict, someone is attacking, someone is defending. Both sides are suffering heavy losses. Does Putin regret this or not? Of course, he regrets, he's a living person. But I am absolutely convinced, and be sure of it: Putin firmly believes that he is right, and he motivates this," he said.

Lukashenko recalled that Putin offered the West to negotiate, but Western politicians ignored this proposal. At the same time, the Belarusian leader emphasized that if the West was not satisfied with the form in which the proposal was made, then they could respond, but the resulting silence only indicates a disregard for the interests of Russia.

"And Putin often says this: the main thing is the interests of Russia and the Russian people. He is committed to these interests, he is obliged to protect the interests of the Russian people, and he protects these interests. He is convinced of this. We can condemn him for this, but he thinks so," Lukashenko stressed.

At the same time, the President of Belarus wondered if it would be better for Russia if Ukraine joined NATO and deployed its armed forces on Ukrainian territory along with missiles.

"Would it be better for Russia or not? Weighing everything, Putin chose this path," Lukashenko added.

According to him, the Russian president saw the danger of the anti-Russian direction chosen by Ukraine and took certain actions.

"Therefore, anything could have happened, we can only guess," Lukashenko said.

Recall, Russia launched a special military operation on Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The Russian president called its purpose "the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." Belarus is officially in SMO does not take part, but supports Moscow's actions.