President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called on French President Emmanuel Macron to be the "engine in promoting peace dialogue" and also invited him to visit Minsk. Lukashenko shared these details with journalists in Astana when answering a question about the specifics of his May 24 conversation with the French President, Belta reports.

According to Lukashenko, the Ukrainian topic was among those discussed with the French President.

"We wrapped up with Ukraine and the consequences if the Russians and we attack Ukraine from the north again. 'You do understand,' he says, 'that we will be forced to respond?' I said: 'You shouldn't be responding, you should be striving for peace.' — 'But we are striving.' I said: 'If you were striving for peace, then while you were at that "gathering" in Yerevan... Well, maybe going to Moscow isn't great for you—you could have come to Minsk, and Vladimir Vladimirovich and I would have met you in Minsk.' Well, just like that, jokingly. He said: 'I don't rule out such a meeting.' I said: 'So, you need to call Putin. Come over, sit down, and talk it out like men,'" Lukashenko shared, detailing the conversation.

In response to this proposal, Emmanuel Macron replied that he still needed to consult within the European Union. The President of Belarus, however, emphasized during the conversation that the current French President should be the engine of this process:

"I said: 'Wait a second, you are an aksakal [elder/veteran], you've been in power for so many years! Who else is there? Merz is a very young politician. Starmer is also very young. Who is going to talk? They are all young. Italy has a female prime minister altogether. What, do you want to shift these responsibilities onto a woman? You are an aksakal, start moving. Today you are, one might say, the main protagonist in Europe and the engine of this. You visited Armenia, so now you need to come to us and talk in Moscow or Minsk. And resolve this issue through dialogue.'"