Aliaksandr Lukashenka will not go to Chernobyl

A trilateral meeting of leaders of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia should have taken place in Chernobyl today. Aliaksandr Lukashenka, Victor Yanukovich and Dmitri Medvedev were supposed to commemorate the victims of the catastrophe, which took place 25 years ago, together, UNIAN reports.

However, BelaPAN has informed with a reference to the Belarusian leader's press-center that Lukashenka is not going to Ukraine today. He will continue his traditional tour in Homel region.

Accoring to Gazeta.ru, the Belarusian leader decided to ignore the meeting because of "offence with Yanukovich". Let us remind you, Ukrainian authorities were forced to solve "Lukashenka problem" - he was invited to the international conference "25 yeras since Chernobyl catastrophe. Security of the future" (it took place recently in Kyiv). Ukrainian mass media informed that President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso agreed to take part in the event on condition there would be no Lukashenka there. Ukrainian side could not ignore this request, as one of the key aims of the conference was collecting money in order to complete construction of sarcophagus at Chernobyl NPP. Thus, it was decided to appoint visits of Barroso and Lukashenka on different time. "Ukrainian News" informed back in March that Aliaksandr Lukashenka would come to the meeting with the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine, not to the conference. 

Russian political scientist Kiryl Koktysh adds, that Lukashenka is offended not only with Kyiv, but has some claims against Moscow as well - Moscow still hasn't provided the promised 1 billion dollars credit, which the Belarusian economy needs so desperately. It is likely that the Belarusian leader declared his discontent this way, the expert underlines.

Photo — president.gov.ua