Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday that he is working with his Turkish counterpart to attempt to arrange a meeting between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine as the war between Moscow and Kyiv entered its seventh day.
Speaking following a security council meeting, Lukashenko mentioned the first talks that recently took place between delegations from Russia and Ukraine that ended without any breakthrough.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be appreciated for approving the talks between the delegations.
Recalling his phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Lukashenko pointed to the Turkish leader's friendship with both Putin and Zelenskyy.
He also cited Erdoğan's efforts to bring the two leaders together for talks.
Erdoğan late on Monday spoke with Lukashenko to discuss the latest developments and the first round of peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials aimed at ending the conflict.
In a phone call, Erdoğan told Lukashenko that Turkey "will continue to make efforts to stop this war and establish peace," the Turkish Presidency wrote on Twitter.
The first round of Ukraine-Russia talks aimed at ending the fighting concluded with no immediate agreements on Monday, and both delegations returned home for consultations in their capitals.
Mentioning his order to strengthen the country's southern borders, Lukashenko said they will do this with the Belarusian army, not Russia.
He went on to say that they closed the country's borders with Poland and Lithuania over the military buildup of the two countries on the western borders of Belarus.
