Maintaining good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, Belarus is neutral ground for talks on the Ukraine crisis. The host country has profited from its position between its two larger neighbors, reports GHN nased on dw.de.
It's no coincidence that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpat Vladimir Putin are meeting face-to-face in Minsk on Tuesday. Although Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) has a close relationship with Putin, he has also cultivated good ties with neighboring Ukraine. On Sunday, Lukashenko congratulated Kyiv on its independence day. Putin was conspicuously silent.
A few days ago Belarus and Ukraine lifted all their mutual trade restrictions. But Lukashenko has also been generous in other areas. At the beginning of August, he said that despite Belarus' own needs, it would "help supply Ukraine's economy with petroleum products." In turn, the Ukrainian president thanked Belarus for its support in negotiations to end the conflict in the Donbas region.
On July 31, a contact group made up of representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) met at Lukashenko's residence near Minsk. They discussed the exchange of prisoners and access to the crash site of the Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, alleged to have been shot down by pro-Russian separatists.
When talks convene on Tuesday, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev will also attend the meeting in addition to Putin and Lukashenko. Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia make up a customs union of former Soviet republics. An EU delegation consisting of foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht, and Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger will also be there.
The talks are supposed to focus on economic issues, with the states of the customs union aiming to discuss their concerns about Ukraine's association agreement with the EU.
Kyiv and Brussels, for their part, want to talk about Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine and Europe.
The war in eastern Ukraine is also expected to feature prominently in the discussions.
