The NAM deputy head Vladimir Astapenko in an interview to Malanka Live
European politicians have already repeatedly stated that there can be no negotiations with Lukashenko in the current situation. Today, when the regime promotes aggression against Ukraine and has committed numerous crimes not only against its own people, but also against humanity, Lukashenko is considered completely incapable; he is toxic for any politician. By making his territory available for aggression, Belarus has become an accomplice to aggression under international law.
Lukashenko did not dare to give the order for the Belarusian armed forces to enter the Ukraine, because the morale of the army was far from what was necessary to wage war, our soldiers were not and could not have been motivated. They would rather have dropped their weapons or surrendered, and there was also a high probability that they could have turned around and gone the other way. The Belarusian people and the democratic forces have much credit for the fact that Lukashenko was forced to refuse to make such a decision.
Ukraine has to cover its northern border, weakening its important eastern and southern directions, because the Belarusian border was already "transparent" to a large number of Russian tanks, which entered Ukraine unimpeded and in much smaller numbers returned.
Today, the territory of Belarus is at the mercy of the occupying forces, with which the puppet government is closely cooperating. Acknowledging this fact means that the occupying authorities have no right to take decisions that would change the legal status of the seized territory and must leave it at a certain point. It is important to promote this topic at an international level.
We must demand the withdrawal of Russian troops, we must insist that Belarus remains an independent and sovereign state, and that the people of Belarus have the opportunity to elect legitimate authorities for themselves in fair elections. In this regard there is no place for puppet governments.