**Lukashenko Invites Trump, Zelensky, and Putin to Minsk for Talks**
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has invited US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet in Minsk for talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Lukashenko made the offer in an interview with American internet personality Mario Nawfal that aired on Belarusian state media. He said that Minsk is ready to host the leaders of the three countries for negotiations.
“If you want, come here,” Lukashenko said. “We’ll sit down and calmly negotiate. If you want to make a deal.”
Lukashenko stressed that he did not want to act as a mediator between other nations. He said that mediation means being between someone and pretending to be able to do something.
**Background on Minsk Agreements**
Belarus hosted talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2014 and 2015, leading to the Minsk Agreements. The agreements were meant to stop the Donbas war triggered by Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine.
Russia violated both agreements, and Putin declared that they no longer existed just before launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
**US Freezes Military Aid**
The US has frozen military aid to Ukraine as part of a pressure campaign to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky toward negotiations with Russia. The move was made after Trump and Zelensky had a heated meeting at the White House, during which Zelensky expressed his country’s readiness for peace.
**Reaction from Around the World**
The US Treasury Secretary has said that there are no plans to sign a mineral resources deal with Ukraine following Donald Trump’s speech to Congress. Shares in Eutelsat surged as much as 123% driven by investor confidence that European leaders will increase military support for Ukraine.
Ukraine plans to import about 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas for the upcoming heating season due to ongoing Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, Bloomberg reported.
The pause in US military aid to Ukraine is temporary and tied to the fallout from Zelensky’s heated Oval Office exchange with Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com