On Tuesday, in a joint press conference at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko demonstrated their unity by claiming that the Bucha massacre was fake, with Lukashenko going one step further and claiming that the UK had staged the attacks.
The pair presented a joint front as the two countries face an increasing amount of sanctions over the Ukraine war. In this respect, the Kremlin said that Putin and Lukashenko discussed measures to offset the repercussions of the West’s “sanctions war.” In fact, Putin announced that Moscow and Minsk have agreed to integrate their finance sectors by undertaking a uniform monetary policy and currency regulations, while also merging their domestic financial banking systems.
Putin calls the massacre in Bucha a fake, claiming Lukashenko has given him docs to prove it. Seems the event will now be officially denied for as long as he’s in power, like MH17 and the Salisbury poisonings. pic.twitter.com/hvxXTIu6An
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) April 12, 2022
Putin confirmed that the two countries are integrating their electricity markets and added that Minsk is paying in rubles for all Russian including oil and gas imports. Furthermore, Russia and Belarus will establish a “common defence space” to ensure their joint security.
Putin also commended Lukashenko’s efforts to organise multiple rounds of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, adding, “Belarusian platform is quite suitable for further meetings.”
Lukashenko, meanwhile, welcomed the strengthening of Russia-Belarus cooperation, adding that Putin’s self-proclaimed “military operation” in Ukraine is imperative for maintaining regional security. In this regard, the Belarusian leader commented on the atrocities in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where local officials recovered the bodies of 400 civilians who were allegedly executed by Russian forces. According to Lukashenko, the whole situation in Bucha was a “psychological operation carried out by the British,” adding that Minsk exposed the “ugly, disgusting” position of the West. He also mentioned that Russia’s federal security agency, FSB, can provide evidence on the matter.
Putin dragged Lukashenko to a cosmodrome in far eastern Russia for this. He claims he has secret information about how mysterious “Englishmen” staged a “provocation” in Bucha. Not clear if he means the whole thing is fake or if they murdered hundreds and pretended Russia did it pic.twitter.com/0vwRG5BnTN
— max seddon (@maxseddon) April 12, 2022
Likewise, President Putin dismissed the situation in Bucha as “fake,” drawing parallels to how the West fabricated Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons. “It’s the same kind of fake in Bucha,” Putin declared. Russia claims that the killings in Bucha are a “provocation” fabricated by the Ukrainian government.
Putin’s speech also touched on how Ukraine continues to display “inconsistency” in its position during peace talks and keeps changing its demands as recently as a few days ago. “Such inconsistency on fundamental points does create certain difficulties in reaching final agreements,” he noted.
In this context, the Russian leader affirmed that Russia will continue its military assault on Ukraine until negotiators reach a substantial resolution, emphasising that Moscow’s forces will carry out its mission “rhythmically and calmly.”
Putin’s comments come against the backdrop of his closed-door meeting with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, earlier this week. The issue of Bucha was brought up in the meeting as Nehammer demanded accountability from Russia. Russia has faced widespread condemnation amid reports that Russian forces killed, tortured, burned, maimed thousands of people, and raped women and children.