Belarusian leader's claim on US Envoy denied by Ukrainian intelligence
Photo: US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg (Getty Images)
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko deliberately spread misinformation related to US special envoy Keith Kellogg. Kellogg, in fact, did not promise to dissuade Ukraine from striking Russian territory, according to the sources in the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR).
What Kellogg and Lukashenko supposedly discussed
The day before, Lukashenko claimed he conveyed Putin’s position to Kellogg regarding a possible ceasefire with Ukraine. According to him, Putin is not against a ceasefire, but only on the condition that "American, British, and French missiles" do not strike Russian territory.
Lukashenko emphasized that Putin demands a signal from the West to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that strikes on Russia are unacceptable.
"I conveyed this position to the Americans. And I said: What’s wrong with that? We will work on this, the US Special Envoy says," Lukashenko said, adding that this would be a good step toward ending the war.
What Ukraine’s intelligence says about this
Ukraine’s intelligence denies that Kellogg promised Lukashenko to work on forbidding strikes on Russian territory with Western weapons.
"According to our data, this is absolutely untrue and is yet another example of disinformation and information special operations by Russian intelligence services," an HUR source told RBC-Ukraine.
Earlier, Kellogg himself denied Lukashenko’s statement. According to him, a full and unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was indeed discussed, but the quote about limiting strikes was taken out of context.
Kellogg visited Minsk on June 21 for a meeting with Lukashenko and agreed on the release of 14 political prisoners, including Belarusian opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky.
Today, it became known that Lukashenko pardoned 16 more people after Kellogg’s visit.
