President Zelensky, Accept The Invitation From President Lukashenko. Don’t Fall Victim To Hubris. Why Disregard Homefield Advantage? If You Believe It A Bluff, Test It. By 7 July 2026. Erdogan Model.
Mr. President, Accept This Invitation- As Emotionally Distasteful As It Is
Arrogance And Hubris Should Not Impede President Zelensky Accepting Invitation For Meeting With President Lukashenko
Erdogan Model: Don’t Squander An Opportunity For Diplomacy, As Distasteful Or Uncertain As The Encounter May Be
Why Discard Homefield Advantage?
President Trump Engaging With President Lukashenko- A Signal To President Zelensky
If Kyiv Thinks The Offer From Minsk Is A Bluff Or A Trap, Then Test It
The Ask? Temporary Ceasefire By The Russian Federation And Ukraine For Day Of Meeting. A Favor By President Putin To President Trump
Meeting Will Impress Members Of EC, EU, And NATO- And The Timing Is Perfect
Target Date: By 7 July 2026. Sooner The Better
The government of Belarus delivered a message to the government of Ukraine with a bank shot impacting positively the government of the United States along with the EC, EU, and NATO.
Alexander Lukashenko, President of Republic of Belarus (1994-2030) offered to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine (2019-2024; term extended due to imposition of martial law in 2022). Significantly, President Lukashenko said the meeting could be in Belarus or Ukraine.
“If he wants to talk about something, consult or anything else, we are open to it. At any point, in Ukraine or Belarus, I am ready to meet him and discuss the problems of Belarusian-Ukrainian relations…. For some reason, we have things to discuss with Americans, Germans, Poles, Lithuanians, and Latvians, but not with Ukraine.” President Lukashenko
“There have been no diplomatic contacts with Belarus recently… Recently, we saw a strange statement by Lukashenka that he is ready to meet and come to Kyiv. The Ukrainian side has someone to meet with, and in the near future we are waiting for [Sviatlana] Tsikhanouskaya [Belarus opposition in exile leader] to visit Ukraine. Therefore, we have someone to talk to about the whole range of issues.” Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
“Since 2022, it has been obvious to everyone that this man's words mean nothing, so we look at his actions. Lukashenko has a habit of making up rather stupid stories, post factum, about where an 'attack was being prepared' against him. So, what is there to discuss here?” Dmytro Lytvyn, Communications Advisor in the Office of the President of Ukraine
President Zelensky accepting the offer to meet President Lukashenko will be viewed positively and, most significantly, productively, by Donald Trump, President of the United States (2017-2021 and 2025-2029).
A meeting will provide President Trump with an opportunity to request from Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation (2000-2008 and 2012-2030), or for President Putin to offer, a temporary ceasefire for the day of the meeting. This will be a useful test for President Trump in his relationship with President Putin.
The Biden-Harris Administration (2021-2025) began, and the Trump-Vance Administration (2025-2029) has steadily and significantly expanded commercial, economic, financial, political, and societal re-engagement with the Lukashenko [No Vice President] Administration (1994-2030).
These conversations, dialogues, and negotiations have appalled and unsettled some governments. President Trump anticipates further expansion rather than contraction- if President Lukashenko continues to deliver on the expectations of President Trump.
Media Reporting: “The United States is pressuring Ukraine to ease restrictions on the import of potash fertilizers from Belarus. Washington is asking Kyiv to ask European countries [Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland] to do the same. Potash fertilizers were the main source of Belarus's foreign exchange earnings before Western sanctions crushed exports. Washington believes that lifting the restrictions will help distance Minsk from Moscow.”
Link: 4/28/26- Is Waldorf Astoria Hotel Minsk The “Field Of Dreams” For Belarus Government? Is Hilton Worldwide Conferring Legitimacy Or Providing Opportunity? Or Both?
Link: 9/11/25- Trump-Vance Administration Re-Opens (A Bit) Commercial Door To Belavia Airlines In Belarus. A Reward For Good Behavior? Signal For Future Opportunities?
Dismissing the opportunity to meet with President Lukashenko carries a likelihood of relationship fracture and stress with President Trump.
Accepting the opportunity to meet with President Lukashenko carries a likelihood of relationship enhancement with President Trump.
President Trump wants to see President Zelensky continuing to make an effort to meet with those heads of state and heads of government who can influence President Putin.
In first place on that list is Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China (2012- ), who is expected, along with President Zelensky, to participate in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York with the high-level General Debate scheduled from 22 September 2026 to 28 September 2026. President Xi Jinping attended the UNGA in 2015 and 2021. President Xi Jinping is expected to visit The White House on 24 September 2026.
There is debate among analysts, diplomats, intelligence community, and military officers as to the level of influence President Lukashenko may have with President Putin. Thus far, the existence of that influence has not been subject to a series of consequential and public tests.
President Lukashenko meeting with President Zelensky could be a consequential and public test because the perception is President Lukashenko may have offered, but will not proceed with meeting President Zelensky absent approval, consultation, or concurrence from President Putin.
No discounting President Zelensky will want an apology from President Lukashenko. The armed forces of the Russian Federation used the internationally-recognized territory of Belarus as a point from which to launch on 24 February 2022 a full-scale assault into the internationally-recognized territory of Ukraine.
“We are not going to get involved in the war in Ukraine. There is no need for this, neither from a civilian nor a military point of view.” President Lukashenko
President Lukashenko will likely not apologize. But a face-to-face meeting permits President Zelensky to ask directly for it.
Head-of-state to head-of-state encounters sometimes have results not pre-determined, not pre-positioned as deliverables.
President Lukashenko and President Zelensky both speak the Russian language. Thus, they can have a one-on-one conversation. Deliver a verbal message, deliver a written message.
There exists an opportunity whose timing is opportune for both President Lukashenko and President Zelensky.
The encounter will reinforce to the thirty-two (32) country members of the Brussels, Belgium-based North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in which the government of Ukraine seeks membership and to the twenty-seven (27) country members of the Brussels, Belgium-based European Union (EU) in which the government of Ukraine seeks membership, that President Zelensky will embrace every opportunity to engage with any head of state or head of government who might have influence, direct or tangential, to impact the military component of the Russian Federation-Ukraine War.
NATO: United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Albania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Romania, Germany, Slovakia, Greece, Slovenia, Hungary, Spain, Turkiye, Latvia, and North Macedonia, Sweden.
EU: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Destructive is the response by Mr. Dmytro Lytvyn, Communication Advisor in the office of the President of Ukraine, who distilled President Lukashenko’s words “mean nothing” and thus the offer was stillborn.
The intelligent response would be for President Zelensky to propose first that President Lukashenko visit the capital, Kyiv. And, do so as soon as possible, preferably by 7 July 2026.
The 2026G7 Leaders’ Summit is scheduled for 15 June 2026 to 17 June 2026 in Évian-les-Bains, France. The host is Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic of France (2017-2027).
The European Council (EC) head of state and head of government members meet in Brussels, Belgium, on 18 June 2026 and 19 June 2026. The public agenda includes EU membership for Ukraine, EU integration for Ukraine, the 21st package of sanctions upon the Russian Federation, and “peace talks” for the Russian Federation-Ukraine War.
The 2026 NATO Leaders’ Summitis scheduled for 7 July 2026 and 8 July 2026 in Ankara, Turkiye. The heads of state and heads of government will meet at the Presidential Complex. President Zelensky has accepted an invitation to participate.
Given the airspace over Ukraine has been closed since 24 February 2022, President Lukashenko would travel from Minsk approximately 529 kilometers (approximately 329 miles) by air, train, and/or motorcade to the southern border of Belarus.
Once in the internationally-recognized territory of Ukraine, President Lukashenko may traverse by train, motorcade, or combination. He could pass the Chornobyl Nuclear Reactor whose New Safe Confinement (sarcophagus) completed in 2019 was damaged in 2025 by a drone. He could use the same route that on 24 February 2024 the armed forces of the Russian Federation attempted to reach Kyiv. Some of the most horrific atrocities of the Russian Federation-Ukraine War occurred during those initial months of 2022, particularly the cities of Bucha and Irpin.
If President Lukashenko does not want to endure an overland journey from Minsk to Kyiv, then the meeting with President Zelensky could be on the Ukraine side of the border with Belarus. For example, the city of Chernihiv, approximately fifty kilometers (approximately thirty miles) from the border with Belarus. President Lukashenko and President Zelensky could meet near in the city of Chornobyl, approximately sixteen kilometers (approximately ten miles) from the Border with Belarus.
The goal is to have President Lukashenko within the internationally-recognized territory of Ukraine. It’s about the optics.
There are many families in Ukraine who have relatives in Belarus. Prior to 24 February 2022, those living within driving distance of the border would often visit weekly. There was train service which was suspended in March 2022.
The Russian Federation-Ukraine War has torn and, in some instances, shredded the emotional fabric that binds, protects, and surrounds family members. President Lukashenko and President Zelensky have a binding responsibility to reconnect and reweave that fabric.
President Zelensky should adopt the model embraced by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye (2014-2028), where speaking with those with whom you disagree and might not believe may be useful, might surprise. There is no opportunity for a surprise if the opportunity never happens in the first place. President Erdogan will host the 2026 NATO Leaders’ Summit in Ankara, Turkiye.
In November 2024 at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Budapest, Hungary.
From media reporting: “In a rare and unexpected encounter, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama engaged in a discussion on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Budapest on Thursday… Photos from the event showed the four leaders and other officials gathered around a small coffee table in a conference hall, signaling the informal nature of the interaction.” Hakan Fridan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkiye also participated. The media headline was “Erdoğan has coffee with Greek Cypriot leader in rare encounter.”
In August 2025 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. President Erdogan, absent a tie, shown presiding at a coffee table dining experience- plates of food and beverages, with heads of state and heads of government, including those of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran, and Russian Federation. The participants were relaxed.
Does coffee, tea, and sweets diplomacy guarantee a result acceptable to the participants? No, it does not. But absence of face-to-face dialogue ensures certainty for uncertainty. A guarantee for never finding out.
For President Zelensky, a face-to-face with President Lukashenko may be as pleasant as passing a kidney stone, but as head of state his responsibility is to search for any opportunity no matter how shallow it might be or seem to be to end the Russian Federation-Ukraine War. That means swallowing hard and accepting the encounter with President Lukashenko… at a location in Ukraine. Using home field advantage to the fullest.
One meaningful result from a meeting with President Lukashenko will be to provide President Zelensky with preparation for a more challenging mental and physical engagement- and the one that will be most consequential. The face-to-face with President Putin.
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