Russia, Ukraine agree to 'lease' Crimea at talks in Istanbul - Lukashenko

He said this in an interview with Russian propagandist Olga Skabeeva.

The Belarusian dictator emphasizes that this “was a good process” that has now been abandoned. In addition, he claims that the territories that Russia was supposed to 'rent' have now become “part of it under the Constitution.”

“Putin hands me a document that was signed by the delegations. It's normal, even for Crimea - the lease there is long, in Donbas, in the east... It's a normal agreement. If only it were possible now, but it is not. Now it is already the territory of Russia according to the Constitution. But it was a normal project, and it was already agreed that the Foreign Ministry would initial it, and then the heads of state had to decide, sign, and so on. It was a good process, but they abandoned it,” Lukashenko said.

The self-proclaimed leader also said that his son Nikolai played a significant role in organizing the talks, as he “helped organize a phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.”

“After a long conversation, the President of Ukraine finally agreed to hold talks with the Russian side in Belarus. Later they were moved to Istanbul, as the West insisted,” the statement says. 

According to Lukashenko, Nikolai is still insisting on organizing the talks. The Belarusian dictator also said that the West “cannot be trusted to organize negotiations.” According to him, the Minsk agreements were just a pause to build up Ukraine's military power.

In addition, Lukashenko said that if the West violates the negotiation process, it is worth using nuclear weapons.

“There can only be one thing. If we agree on a peace process, the war stops, no movement: no tanks, no military. As soon as it's over, I think we should use nuclear weapons. This is the only way to talk to them. You can't have a dialogue with them and trust them. They will deceive you,” he added.

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul in March 2022

On March 29, Ukraine and Russia held talks in Istanbul to discuss international security guarantees for Ukraine, a ceasefire to address humanitarian issues, and the treatment of prisoners in accordance with international conventions.

Ukraine's negotiating delegation included Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, Advisor to the Head of the President's Office Mykhailo Podolyak, Head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia, MP Andriy Kostin, Co-Chair of the Crimean Platform inter-factional association in the Verkhovna Rada Rustem Umerov, and Deputy Foreign Minister Mykola Tochytskyi.

As a result of the negotiations, the Ukrainian delegation offered Russia an agreement that provided for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow on the status of the annexed Crimea over the next 15 years. It was noted that during this time, the period of negotiations, there would be a ban on the use of armed forces to resolve the issue of Crimea.

On April 20, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin had handed over to Ukraine its draft treaty between the countries, which had been developed as a result of bilateral negotiations.

On May 15, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed skepticism about a possible ceasefire agreement with Russia and said that Kyiv would not allow diplomacy to prolong the suffering of Ukrainians.

On May 17, advisor to the head of the President's Office Mykhailo Podolyak said that the negotiation process on peace between Ukraine and Russia had been suspended.