{"text":[[{"start":9.65,"text":"Belarus’s president Alexander Lukashenko has said his army will not take part in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, seemingly dismissing Kyiv’s fears that Moscow was pressuring Minsk to join its war effort."}],[{"start":21.6,"text":"Lukashenko told an audience of senior officers and military graduates on Monday that Belarus would not send troops to fight in Ukraine, where Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion has dragged on for more than four years."}],[{"start":34.85,"text":"“I stress once again, dear comrades, that nobody is going to send you into this bloodbath. We don’t need war, it’s bad that war is going on in Ukraine,” Lukashenko said, according to his website. “We are supporters of solving matters peacefully.”Lukashenko allowed Putin to use Belarus as a launch pad for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Russia has since deployed nuclear warheads and advanced missiles there. But the Belarusian leader refrained from sending his own forces to fight, instead hosting initial peace talks in the war’s early weeks."}],[{"start":69.7,"text":"In an interview with the FT at his office in Kyiv on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Lukashenko had made an all-or-nothing gamble, like someone betting everything on a single number in a casino. He bet that Russia would completely destroy Ukraine. "}],[{"start":86.4,"text":"In doing so, Zelenskyy argued, Lukashenko staked whatever remained of his reputation and credibility, and facilitated Russia’s invasion by opening the way for it."}],[{"start":96.45,"text":"“He walked into the casino on the wrong day. He was certain he’d hit the jackpot. He hit nothing,” he said."}],[{"start":103.60000000000001,"text":"Lukashenko’s comments on Monday came after a highly unusual two-day meeting with Putin at the Russian leader’s main residence, after which he flew straight to Beijing for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping."}],[{"start":117.00000000000001,"text":"The diplomatic manoeuvring reflects the increasingly difficult position Belarus finds itself in as Putin’s war effort sputters and Ukraine steps up its long-range attacks on Russian energy infrastructure."}],[{"start":129.5,"text":"Russia’s closest ally Belarus has also helped Moscow by exporting record amounts of fuel to help combat widespread shortages caused by the strikes."}],[{"start":139.35,"text":"Lukashenko has also sought to repair relations with the west since US President Donald Trump returned to office last year. Minsk released hundreds of political prisoners in exchange for a partial rollback of sanctions against Belarus."}],[{"start":151.79999999999998,"text":"The first hint of the apparent pressure began late last month when Zelenskyy threatened “extremely dangerous consequences” for Belarus if it did not shut off four relay stations that he said were being used to guide Russian drones."}],[{"start":165.1,"text":"Belarus shut off the relay stations three days later, a step that preceded an unusual flurry of diplomatic activity for Lukashenko."}],[{"start":173.29999999999998,"text":"“The good news — how he differs from Putin — is that I think he understands the risks. He fully understands all the risks,” Zelenskyy said of the Belarusian leader."}],[{"start":183.64999999999998,"text":"“If you know the war isn’t won, and you suddenly get pulled in further as an ally in this war — well, he has enough sense to understand that he shouldn’t get dragged into that.”"}],[{"start":194.29999999999998,"text":"Lukashenko, the moustachioed collective farm leader who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, alluded to pressure to fight in the war at a meeting with Russian officials. “There is no need to push us [ . . . ] to get dragged into the war,” Lukashenko said. “Our position is peaceful.” "}],[{"start":213.74999999999997,"text":"Lukashenko also said he had recently met Ukrainian officials and told them that “the quality of the war will immediately change” if Belarus were “dragged” into it. "}],[{"start":223.69999999999996,"text":"A few days later, it emerged that Lukashenko flew to Russia for a two-day meeting at Lake Valdai, the Russian president’s primary northern residence."}],[{"start":232.84999999999997,"text":"In a departure from the usual protocol, both countries’ state media did not publicise the meeting until after it had already ended. The Kremlin said Putin and Lukashenko discussed Ukraine but did not further elaborate on the Belarusian leader’s behind-the-scenes role. "}],[{"start":248.54999999999995,"text":"Lukashenko then flew to China, where Xi told him Beijing supported Minsk’s efforts to support its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. China also called for a resumption of stalled peace talks that same day."}],[{"start":268.9,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1783400758_8412.mp3"}