Translated text of a letter sent to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres by Belorusian President Alexander Lukoshenko reveals that Vladimir Putin’s ally told Secretary-General that the West is risking the collapse of the United Nations and the beginning of a third world war by sending money and weapons to Ukraine.
The letter is dated May 8 and was delivered on May 18, according to Belarusian state media outlet Belta, which posted the entirety of Lukashenko’s letter online.
A translated version of that letter reveals that the Belarusian president believes the Secretary-General should become personally involved in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to prevent a third world war, and warns that inaction may lead to the collapse of the United Nations in addition to a worldwide conflict. Lukashenko also expressed fears that the West will continue to fund Ukraine and prolong the conflict until the nation’s population is devastated by war.
Beginning by noting Belarus was devastated by World War II – Lukashenko claimed a third of the population was lost, though other estimates suggest a quarter – he wrote, “For all of us, the inhabitants of the Earth, there is again no more important issue than the prevention of a global war and the establishment of a lasting and lasting peace.”
The leader who has been criticized for ruling as a dictator then warned that “The security architecture of Europe has failed.”
“The war in Ukraine is a war at our walls!” Lukashenko declared, “We, as Ukraine’s neighbors, are concerned about the future of regional security and guarantees of Belarus’ national security. It is impossible to resolve these issues without our participation, as well as without the participation of the countries of the region.”
President Lukashenko meets with President Vladimir Putin on May 23, 2022
Lukashenko noted that the conflict and ensuing sanctions have already had “devastating consequences for the world” in the form of “an unprecedented increase in prices for food, energy, fertilizers, air and sea transportation,” that threaten to lower living standards and exacerbate “economic and social tensions.” He also warned of a “new wave of mass migration.”
He added, “In this regard, Belarus calls on the countries of the world to unite and prevent the regional conflict in Europe from escalating into a full-scale world war!”
The Belarusian president also warned that inaction on behalf of the United Nations may cause it to share a fate with the League of Nations, the international diplomatic body created in the wake of World War I to prevent a second global conflict, which collapsed before World War II began.
“It is necessary to refrain from destroying the UN and multilateral cooperation mechanisms,” wrote Lukashenko. “Unfortunately, we see that the UN in the near future may repeat the unenviable fate of the League of Nations.”
Lukashenko then urged Guterres to begin acting as a neutral, third party mediator between the countries to prevent such a conflict, and seemed to insinuate that the West has no interest in avoiding a world war.
Lukashenko meets with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2020
“After all, to be frank, everyone in the world understands perfectly well that forces claiming sole leadership in the globalized world are fighting against Russia on the territory of Ukraine,” wrote Lukashenko, “At the hands of Ukrainian soldiers and ‘to the last Ukrainian'”.
International media have described Lukashenko’s letter as “bizarre” and “terrifying” due to his inclusion of the phrase “new world order” to describe a post-war diplomatic system that would prevent future conflict.
Meanwhile at the World Economic Forum, statesman Henry Kissinger said that Ukraine must be willing to cede land to Russia and end the war to prevent further economic destabilization, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently acknowledged that the war must end diplomatically for the first time despite urging harsher sanctions during his virtual appearance at the WEF.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February amid a years long standoff over the disputed Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. Moscow claims it launched a “special military operation” to protect ethnic Russians in the Donetsk and Lukansk breakaway republics from Ukrainian state violence, while Kiev and its allies maintain that the invasion was unprovoked.
