Belarus president calls on truce in Ukraine to avoid escalation

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on March 31 called on Moscow and Kyiv to start immediate negotiations without preconditions, as "a third world war with nuclear fires loomed on the horizon."

The Belarusian head of state proposed to declare a truce and that both sides suspend the transfer of forces and equipment, but added that the war will not cease "until the overseas master gives the go-ahead," Baha reports.

In the address before the parliament, Lukashenko argued that the potential return to the nuclear weapons to Belarus is not a "blackmail" or "intimidation" but an opportunity to protect the country and its citizens.