【By Guan察者网, Ruan Jiaqi】

On the 27th local time, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit was held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. According to BelTA, the state news agency of Belarus, Belarusian President Lukashenko said during an interview that day that he believes the Ukraine conflict is about to end, "I have never been so sure of this."

However, he also warned, "This is a war, and unexpected situations can occur at any moment, which could completely change the situation. War is war — it's a very serious moment for any society and country. Therefore, there must be no slack, and both sides must remain vigilant at all times."

But when asked if he was willing to act as a peace mediator, the president, known for his "yin-yang master" style in diplomatic circles, joked, "I don't like any form of mediation. How can I be a mediator? I am an 'aggressor' just like Putin."

This remark clearly targeted Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Lukashenko added immediately, "You heard it: everyone agrees to hold talks in Belarus and cooperate with Belarus, except Zelenskyy. What did I do to offend him? That's why I don't want to do anything about it."

"I said yesterday that if it is indeed necessary, the most reasonable approach would be to resume or continue the negotiations that were conducted in 2015. If all parties agree, we will be very welcome," he said.

Belarusian President Lukashenko interviewed. BelTA video screenshot BelTA video screenshot

According to BelTA, on the issue of the Russia-Ukraine situation, Lukashenko also talked about the U.S.-Russia proposed "28-point peace plan." This plan has been criticized by Ukraine and its European allies as "biased towards Russia," which led to the Geneva talks producing a "19-point plan" based on Ukraine's opinion.

Earlier, British media cited sources saying that Ukraine wanted to remove the clause on "a limit of 600,000 troops in the Ukrainian army" from the initial draft, while Europe demanded the number to be increased to 800,000.

Lukashenko found this quite puzzling, "Maintaining an army of 600,000 is already very expensive. (BelTA note: The Polish army, which has better economic conditions, only has 200,000 soldiers.) (Europe wants) 800,000! Can you imagine? Even Russia, which is large, only just reached this level!"

He believed that Ukraine and its European allies will eventually realize that they must strive towards peace negotiations, but Europeans played a negative role in it.

He said helplessly, "The EU is like this, once they catch something, they won't let go. This shows that, in the eyes of Europeans, the issue is not whether this peace agreement draft is feasible, but rather they simply don't want peace. I really don't understand why they are so determined to fight, they can't win anyway."

"It is said that the British played an unseemly role and have already taken a position. But I believe they will eventually wake up," Lukashenko concluded.

According to reports by Russian TASS and others, on the same day in Kyrgyzstan, Russian President Putin also made a public response regarding recent developments. He stated that there is currently no "peace agreement draft", only a "list of issues".

"It is impolite for me to talk about the final agreement now," Putin told journalists.

Putin believes that there is currently only a "Ukrainian issue list" that needs to be discussed and finally formed into a draft, but there is no "peace agreement draft". The U.S. proposed "issue list" can serve as the basis for future agreements. He said, "There are a series of issues that need to be discussed and finally determined."

He revealed that the U.S. delegation will visit Moscow next week, and the Kremlin is ready for "serious discussions" with the U.S.

But he then pointed out that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will only end after "the Ukrainian army withdraws from the territories it occupies." He said, "If Ukraine does not withdraw its troops, Russia will continue to achieve its goals through military means."

CSTO Summit现场 Video Screenshot

American cable TV network CNN believes that Putin's latest statement is the strongest indication that Russia is unwilling to make concessions. Previously, including Trump himself, U.S. officials had claimed that significant progress had been made in efforts to end the conflict.

On the same day, Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian team will hold talks with U.S. representatives later this week. In addition, the Ukrainian side hopes to facilitate a meeting between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Trump, believing that some sensitive issues such as territory need to be directly discussed by the leaders of the two countries.

On the 26th, NBC reported that there are serious divisions within the Trump administration on how to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the recent meeting is the latest manifestation of these long-standing rifts. The report said that behind this division lies a political competition between two potential candidates for the 2028 U.S. presidential election: Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio.

However, Politico quoted sources saying that Trump only wants to end the conflict as soon as possible, regardless of what the final agreement looks like.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7577646367334580751/

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