Lukashenko proposes meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy in Belarus. Kremlin responds

Belarusian state media outlet Belta reported his statement.

"We shouldn’t be berating Zelenskyy right now, no matter what he’s like. We need to convince him and reach an agreement because a large part of Ukrainian society supports him," Lukashenko said.

In his view, talks should be held between U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"If you’re willing, come. It’s right here — 200 kilometers from the Belarusian border to Kyiv. A half-hour flight. Come, we’ll sit down, talk calmly, without noise, without shouting. So tell Trump: I’m waiting for him here with Putin and Zelenskyy. Let’s sit down and reach an agreement. If you really want to," Lukashenko added.

According to Belta, the Belarusian leader also believes Trump is a more independent president than his predecessor, Joe Biden.

"Right or wrong, he makes decisions. Biden didn’t decide for himself. They told him not to call — so he didn’t. They told him to call Putin a dictator — so he did," Lukashenko claimed.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, addressed Lukashenko's invitation.

He stated, "The idea of a meeting between Putin, Trump, and Zelenskyy in Minsk has not been discussed so far, but it would be an ideal venue for negotiations from Russia's perspective," according to the Russian propaganda outlet TASS.

• The day before, Lukashenko ordered Belarusian specialists to search for rare earth metals within the country.