According to BelTA, on January 8 local time, Belarusian President Lukashenko expressed his views on the situation in Venezuela, stating that everything the US wanted could have been achieved without arresting the country's president Maduro.

Lukashenko said: "The only thing I want to thank US President Trump for is that he spoke frankly about oil and stated 'Oil, we need oil!' Talking about this makes me very sad because from the beginning, I was somehow involved in this situation. I even informed the US side early on that the Venezuelans were ready to cooperate with them without resorting to these disastrous and foolish actions."

He said that Belarus will pay attention to the US judicial process regarding Maduro, "We will see what kind of 'justice' the US has. Frankly speaking, Trump's team does have some fairly honest judges and lawyers."

Lukashenko pointed out: "In fact, all the goals the US wanted to achieve in Venezuela could have been achieved without arrest."

On January 8 local time, Belarusian President Lukashenko made a speech discussing the situation in Venezuela. Video screenshot

He added: "But they just want to show off their so-called 'heroism'. Who do they want to show this heroism to? To an unarmed person? They killed all of Maduro's guards, injured his wife and himself, then arrested him and took him to the US. This is what the empire, which spends over $10 billion on weapons, calls 'great heroism'."

Lukashenko also mentioned that there was "collusion and betrayal" during the kidnapping of Maduro by the US, "I want you to understand: everything happened here. There were signed agreements, and money was paid to Venezuelan officials, including military and civilian personnel. There was collusion and betrayal. Everything happened."

He emphasized: "Therefore, we must remain as vigilant as possible. This incident once again convinced us that we must become strong."

Lukashenko said that the script of Venezuela would not play out in Belarus, "Last year at the Belarusian Security Council meeting, roles were assigned for the scenario where the president was absent. It was like foreseeing the future. Therefore, the Venezuela script will not be played out in Belarus. Even if this happens, we are fully prepared."

Lukashenko said: "I mentioned not long ago that if Americans want to get into another Vietnam-style war, they can. No matter how the situation evolves, I believe they have heard these words. But now, they are still threatening to launch a ground military operation against Venezuela. I think they clearly know that such an action will never end up satisfying them."

"At that time, hundreds of innocent civilians and soldiers will die, just like the Cubans who protected President Maduro. Tens of thousands of Americans will die abroad. I believe neither Donald nor anyone else wants to see such a result," Lukashenko said.

He mentioned that this operation against Venezuela might be a "compromise" that Trump made with the military, "Do you remember how they fled Afghanistan in such a miserable way? People clung to the plane's landing gear and eventually fell onto the runway, which was a disgrace. They need an operation to prove that they can still accomplish something."

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7593166138877248000/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.