Alyaksandr Lukashenka discussed the situation around Venezuela with a US delegation led by US President’s special envoy John Coale. He compared a potential conflict involving Venezuela to the Vietnam War. This was stated in an interview with Belarusian television by Belarus’s Permanent Representative Valiantsin Rybakou. According to him, the discussion focused on how Lukashenka could help prevent another war from breaking out.
“Venezuela was discussed because we all know very well that the President of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, had excellent relations with the former leadership of Venezuela, with Chávez, and with the current president, Maduro. In what way could Belarus contribute, and Alyaksandr Ryhoravich personally, so that, God forbid, another war does not begin in the world?” Rybakou said.
He emphasized that Lukashenka spoke on this matter with complete frankness.
“And the President of Belarus spoke very frankly with the American delegation on this topic and warned that drawing America into such a war would simply mean a repetition of Vietnam for the United States, which is of no interest to anyone and is not needed by the American people, certainly not by the Venezuelan people, nor, in fact, by the entire international community,” he said.
It should be recalled that in recent weeks Alyaksandr Lukashenka met twice with the Ambassador of Venezuela to Russia. At the end of November, while receiving the diplomat, he said that Nicolas Maduro would always be welcome in Belarus. The second meeting took place this week. From Lukashenka’s published opening remarks it followed that, in the interval between the two meetings, the Venezuelan diplomat had traveled home and coordinated certain issues with Maduro.
During the period between Lukashenka’s meetings with the Venezuelan ambassador, it also became known about a conversation between Nicolas Maduro and US President Donald Trump. Media reported that Maduro had been offered to leave Venezuela. He was allegedly ready to step down after one and a half years, but the American side was reportedly not satisfied with this. In late November and early December, the United States continued to increase pressure on Venezuela. On Wednesday, Donald Trump announced the seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.