Belarusian leader: Istanbul agreements may form basis for new Ukraine talks

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that the agreements made in Türkiye’s Istanbul city could form the foundation for initiating new peace negotiations regarding Ukraine.

“The situation has changed, and this evolving reality must also be taken into account,” President Lukashenko said in an interview for "Vesti Nedeli" (Weekly News) show on the Russia-1 channel, Caliber.Az reports citing the Russian media.

“If we sit down at the negotiating table, the question arises. What issue will be the first one? President Putin was right to suggest, based on what was agreed upon in Istanbul, that we should begin from where we left off,” he said.

"Let's see the notebook where the negotiators and leaders from your side signed and initialed the agreements. President Putin sent it to me immediately. Indeed, the situation has changed, but that’s where we can start. We should begin by discussing what was previously agreed upon," President Lukashenko added.

The Istanbul agreements included Ukraine's commitment to refrain from joining NATO and developing nuclear weapons. In return, Kyiv sought international security guarantees akin to NATO's Article 5 (excluding Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk). Negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations were halted in May 2022.