MINSK, February 25. /TASS/. The Kiev authorities need to engage in talks with Russia, because otherwise, Ukraine’s days are numbered, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"If the West keeps ‘helping’ Ukraine in the same manner, then Ukraine’s days are numbered," he told reporters after casting his ballot in the country’s parliamentary and local elections.

According to him, if the Ukrainian authorities fail to enter into talks with Russia, they will lose the country. "This is why, today, they need to engage in talks to preserve their country," Lukashenko noted.

"As for Crimea, it’s Russian soil. This is what the Russians think and the West agrees with that," he added.