MOSCOW, May 28. /TASS/. A clash with Ukraine would have happened anyway later, but on worse conditions for Russia and Belarus, so Moscow prevented the worst scenario, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" TV show on Rossiya-1 television on Sunday.
"If not in February 2022, this [conflict with Ukraine] would have taken place at a later date, but on worse conditions for Russia and for us - Belarus and Russia. Things would have been worse. We thwarted that scenario," Lukashenko said in an interview with reporter Pavel Zarubin.
The Belarusian leader described Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as an element in the global fight for multipolarity. Being opposed to such a world order, the West clashed primarily with Russia, Lukashenko explained.
"Today, we are fighting for a multipolar world order, which is in the interests of all - China, Indians, Arabs, Africa, and Latin America. <…> Us finding ourselves on this side of the barricades, and the West being on the opposite side, well, that is a coincidence, because the blow primarily targeted us," he underlined.