Belarus President Lukashenko: After meeting Putin, says there is a 'good proposal' on the table for Ukraine

Belarus President Lukashenko: After meeting Putin, says there is a 'good proposal' on the table for Ukraine

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has proposed building a second nuclear power plant to supply energy to Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko's announcement comes as Belarus continues to support Russia's military operations in Ukraine.

The proposal, made during a meeting at the Kremlin on Friday, suggests that the new nuclear plant could be used to supply energy to regions controlled by Russia in Ukraine's Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk. Belarus opened its first nuclear power plant, the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant, in November 2020, with significant financial backing from Russia .

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for over three decades, is a close ally of the Kremlin. He allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and later authorized the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear missiles. However, Putin did not specify whether Russia would provide financial backing for the proposed second nuclear plant during the meeting.

This development highlights the ongoing energy and geopolitical dynamics between Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. As the conflict in Ukraine continues, such proposals could have significant implications for energy security and regional stability.