Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he recently met with representatives of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and urged them to pursue negotiations rather than escalation.

Axar.az reports, citing Belarusian media, speaking in Minsk during a meeting with Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov, Lukashenko disclosed details of the talks.

“Not long ago, representatives of Zelensky were right here. I told them directly: ‘Guys, convey this to your president: if he thinks he can speak to us like that and try to drag us into a war, he must understand that the nature of the war will change instantly. This war will be completely different,” Lukashenko said.

“By the way, we received a response: the president and they understand that. So, guys, let’s come to an agreement. We need to reach a substantial agreement.”

Lukashenko said Belarus does not want to be drawn into the conflict.

“Our position is peaceful. But in any situation, we will stand alongside Russia,” Lukashenko added.