Lukashenko challenges Trump's stance on who should lead Ukraine
Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko (photo: Getty Images)
Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko has responded to US President Donald Trump's call for Ukraine to elect a new leader.
"This is not Trump's decision to make. The Ukrainian people will decide who becomes president of Ukraine," Lukashenko said.
He also recalled that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had promised to serve only one term.
According to Lukashenko, promises must be kept, which means holding an election.
Lukashenko believes Trump is right on this point. However, he said the US president should not dictate terms to Ukraine.
As previously reported, Trump publicly urged Ukrainians to elect a new president to replace Zelenskyy.
He accused the Ukrainian leader of being unwilling to end the war and said he never makes deals.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy responded that Ukraine would hold an election if Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.
He said this after Trump called on Ukraine to elect a new leader.
As also reported, the Kremlin effectively rejected the proposed ceasefire.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia wanted lasting peace, while Putin was only prepared to refrain from attacking Ukraine on election day.
