Lukashenko says Ukraine will be eliminated unless negotiations start

Minsk [Belarus], August 19: Kiev and Moscow need to sit down and talk, otherwise there will be an escalation that will result in Ukraine's destruction, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.
"It essential to sit down at the negotiating table and discuss issues. But if things go the way they develop in the Kursk region, it will be an escalation that will end with the destruction of Ukraine," Lukashenko said in an interview with Russia's Rossiya-1 broadcaster.
The negotiations should begin from the point they ended in Istanbul, because this is a real opportunity to address issues, Lukashenko said.
"Let's sit down at the negotiating table and end this brawl - neither the Ukrainian people, nor the Russians, nor the Belarusians need it," Lukashenko added.
Lukashenko has deployed further troops to the country's border with Ukraine.
Kiev had stationed up to 120,000 soldiers on its side of the border, forcing him to respond, Lukashenko told the Russian Rossiya-1 television channel.
"In view of this aggressive policy, we have stationed our military along the entire border, as would be the case in the event of war," Lukashenko asserted.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that there could be no peace talks with those who indiscriminately target civilians and civilian infrastructure, commenting on negotiations prospects with Kiev.
On July 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed in an interview with several French news outlets the possibility of starting negotiations with Russia without the condition for the return of territories.
He also said that the issue of Ukraine giving up territories incorporated into Russia amid its military operation is very complicated and should be decided by the people of Ukraine through a referendum. (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune