Belarusian president says Russia-Ukraine war may lead to 3rd world war if not ended

“If we do not stop now in Ukraine – as (US President Donald) Trump himself suggests – if we fail to halt and instead continue down the path of escalation, we will inevitably end up in a third world war,” Lukashenko said in an address at the 4th Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in the Belarusian capital, according to state news agency BelTA.

Praising the US president for his efforts to end the war, Lukashenko argued that despite Trump’s policies “polarizing the world,” his actions are “essentially keeping the world from a third world war,” which he said could erupt as a nuclear conflict.

“And you can't hide from this across the ocean,” Lukashenko said, noting that his US counterpart should be given a peace prize for the “simple reason” that he might “prevent the Europeans from unleashing a nuclear conflict.”

Lukashenko further stated his belief that the Russia-Ukraine war will end “in the coming months,” citing war fatigue in particular.

He went on to state that Minsk is ready to contribute to resolving the conflict, including by hosting peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, and warned against attempts to drag his country into the war.

The Belarusian president also commended the recent six-day ceasefire deal between the two countries in the Russian-controlled city of Oleshky in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, which ended at 2100GMT on Sunday, and highlighted the role of both countries’ human rights commissioners during the halt.

“We need to move in this direction. We must expand such corridors and identify points where de-escalation is possible,” Lukashenko said.

He stated that creating a sustainable development and security model in Eurasia is a “real necessity” and that the entire world will benefit from this.

“First and foremost, we must stop saber-rattling within our shared Eurasian home. Who could possibly object to that? No one. Everyone is in favor. Everyone is apprehensive about the future and the prospect of escalation,” Lukashenko said, also calling for the abandonment of unilateral sanctions.

He went on to argue that international law is being replaced by the “law of force,” pointing out that this applied first and foremost to the UN.

“With all due respect to the organization, there is a lot of talk, but practically nothing gets done. The League of Nations – which the UN eventually replaced – collapsed precisely because it was unable to prevent the Second World War. I fear that the UN is destined for the same fate. I would hate for that to happen,” he added.