MINSK, September 30. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asserted that Belarus has been and will be together with Russia while their union is closer than that of NATO.

"You should not accuse us of co-aggression or something else. We have been, we are and we will be together with our Russia. Our union with Russia is tighter than that of the NATO bloc. What else do you expect of us? That said, we are saying that we won’t fight in Ukraine. Let’s cooperate peacefully," the Belarusian leader told the ambassadors of foreign countries at the credentials presentation ceremony on Friday, according to the BelTA news agency.

In Lukashenko’s opinion, Ukraine cannot accuse Belarus of anything. "We did not begin a conflict with Ukraine. It was them who closed their airspace to our planes and declared an economic blockade of Belarus before Western countries and the US [did the same]," he said, adding that Belarus has always been fulfilling its obligations to Russia but was not involved in the armed conflict in Ukraine.

The head of state reiterated that three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine were held on Belarusian soil. "Why the negotiations folded, who folded them? A rhetorical question," he said adding that Belarus was doing everything to stop the conflict but "somebody needed this bloodshed."