Why is Biden going to Poland, should come to Minsk to ‘end the war’: Belarusian president

Minsk, Belarus

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Poland from February 20-22 to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, Belarus wants Biden to be in Minsk instead as the country's President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, wants to "end the war". 

Lukashenko has extended an invitation to Biden to visit Minsk and expressed his willingness to mediate between Russia and US. Speaking to the media, Lukashenko said, "Why is Biden going to Poland?” 

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He reportedly asked why Biden has decided to go to Poland and said Belarus is "willing to host him in Minsk". Lukashenko said that he is ready to have a "serious conversation" with Biden and Putin if US "wants peace in Ukraine". 

The Belarusian president revealed that he is "ready to hold a joint meeting with Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden".

"Even Putin will fly over to Minsk for the trilateral meeting: two ‘aggressors’ and a ‘peace loving’ president. Why not? For the sake of ending the war. If he wants to stop the war," he reportedly said. 

He said that if Biden is to visit Poland, he can also visit Minsk as it is not too far away. 

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"Poland is nearby, I will send a plane, if anything, a Boeing for him, and we will host him. We have international airports. His Air Force One can land here. Clinton visited us once. Here, in your presence, the three of us... I guarantee you that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin will come... will sit down and solve the problem. We will be able to solve all the issues here."

It is pertinent to note that Belarus helped Russia earlier by letting Moscow's troops to Ukraine through its 1,000-kilometre Ukrainian-Belarusian border. 

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Minsk has also claimed on several occasions that Ukrainian drones have entered Belarus however, there is no evidence to date to substantiate these claims. In the latest, Belarus said that the country would in "no way" send its troops into Ukraine unless it is attacked. 

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