MINSK, April 25. /TASS/. Ukraine may lose its statehood unless it enters into talks, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"The situation is very serious. I believe that if Ukraine fails to enter into negotiations, it will eventually lose its statehood and may cease to exist," he pointed out, addressing the Belarusian People’s Congress.

According to Lukashenko, "this is the best situation to make peace and sign a peace treaty."

The Belarusian president added that his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky should have realistic expectations. According to him, Ukraine now has the most serious and favorable situation for a peace treaty. Lukashenko pointed out that Russian troops have liberated several settlements in Ukraine, but it's "very slow progress." "There is a kind of pressure, as we say. Neither they, the Ukrainians, nor the Russians. <…> It's a stalemate," the head of state said.

According to him, Ukraine now needs to make peace, which is evidenced by the flight of Ukrainians from the country to avoid going to the front. Lukashenko added that men in Ukraine are taken off the streets and often sent directly to the war zone without training.

Return to Istanbul agreements

Lukashenko suggested starting the talks with the Istanbul agreements, a package of agreements that included provisions on neutrality and security guarantees. The Belarusian president noted that these agreements are unlikely to be adopted or form the basis of a peace treaty, but it is possible to start with them.

According to him, the servicemen, heads of Western intelligence services, politicians and heads of state are already publicly saying that "Putin should not win." Lukashenko called such statements "a moment for negotiations" and suggested "playing a draw," urging not to propose solutions such as Vladimir Zelensky's so-called peace formula. This initiative does not take into account Moscow's position; it envisages the complete withdrawal of Russian forces to the 1991 borders and the return to Ukraine of control over the "exclusive economic zone" in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

The Belarusian president pointed out that the Russians today "will not leave Crimea or the eastern regions," so putting forward proposals that are unacceptable for negotiations shows that they are not ready to negotiate.