The Belarusian president expressed hope that a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine will be reached this year.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that Russia will never pull out of Crimea, News.Az citing the TASS."No, Russia will never cede Crimea back. Even the West is now telling them, ‘Guys, this matter is closed.’ Do they expect the Russians to leave the territories the Russian army is controlling? I cannot imagine what is to happen to drive them out of those territories where they are. So, probably, this matter is also closed," he said.
He called for being guided "by the realities, by what can be done, rather than keep on saying, ‘We will return Crimes."
He also said that he hopes that some sort of a solution to the conflict in Ukraine will be found this year. "This year will see some solution. I don’t mean to say that the war will end, etc. They will be at odds for a long time, I think. But a solution will be found. We will see the light at the end of the tunnel this year," he added.
