French president Macron says Russian intervention in Belarus would be ‘worst thing’ that could happen
- Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said the Kremlin could step in if the situation deteriorated
- Macron said that both he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed that there could not be a repeat of what happened in Ukraine
Russian intervention in the crisis in Belarus following disputed presidential elections is the worst thing that could happen, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, after Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin could step in if the situation deteriorated.
“All external intervention in Belarus will internationalise this issue,” Macron told reporters, adding that the “worst thing would be Russian intervention”.
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Belarus protests against President Lukashenko continue with demands for new elections
Putin said Thursday Russia had set up a reserve group of law enforcement officers to support President Alexander Lukashenko if the post-vote situation deteriorated.
Macron said that both he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed that there “could be no repeat of what happened in Ukraine” when after an uprising in 2014 Russia annexed the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and pro-Moscow forces declared breakaway republics in Ukrainian regions in the east.
“Our desire is to engage Russia in a dialogue on Belarus and to help us convince President Lukashenko of the necessity to accept mediation” by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Macron added that it should be up to Putin, who has spoken repeatedly to the Belarusian leader in the last days, to sway Lukashenko.