The head of Belarus' security service, Ivan Tertel, said he was working to build contacts with Ukraine to help end the conflict with Russia, Reuters reported, citing the Belarusian BelTA news agency, BTA reported.
Earlier last week, a senior Belarusian diplomat met with European officials to try to ease the long-standing isolation of the country, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tertel stressed that meetings with Ukrainian officials were “vital in the current situation to reach a consensus“. He added: “Our president is working as much as he can to stabilize the situation in the region. We have found a balance between the interests of both countries in this complex situation with a tendency towards tension. I am convinced that we can overcome the difficulties only through quiet negotiations and the search for a compromise.“
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko allowed Russia to use the country's territory at the beginning of the war with Ukraine in 2022, but the Belarusian armed forces did not participate in hostilities.
Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and is subject to Western sanctions for human rights violations, including the suppression of post-election protests in 2020 and his support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However, relations between Belarus and the United States have improved in recent months, after former President Donald Trump described him as a “very respected leader“ and sent an envoy to Minsk, which led to the release of over 50 political prisoners.
Last month, Lukashenko announced that he wanted to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to help resolve the conflict.