Belarusian, French presidents hold first phone call in four years

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and French President Emmanuel Macron have held a phone call for the first time in four years.

Report informs, citing the press service of the Belarusian president.

According to the information, the call was held at the initiative of the French side. During the conversation, the sides discussed regional issues and Belarus' relations with the EU and France.

Before speaking with Lukashenko, the French leader held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia's overnight massive attack on Kyiv, which killed two people and injured dozens. Macron condemned the strike, which damaged residential buildings, schools, the Chornobyl Museum, the National Art Museum of Ukraine and other civilian and cultural facilities.

Lukashenko last spoke by phone with Macron on February 26, 2022, several days after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the French side, Macron called on Minsk to secure the withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarusian territory, give up the role of a "de facto accomplice" in the war and not deploy Russian nuclear weapons. The Belarusian side said the two leaders discussed the conflict, Belarus' relations with Russia and the future of Europe, while Lukashenko described reports about the possible deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus as baseless speculation.