President Lukashenko Will Not Be in Kyiv for 1025th Anniversary of Baptism of Kyivan Rus Celebration

Alexander Lukashenko will not come to Kyiv for the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus, which will be attended by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti, and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic.

Experts believe that Lukashenko refuses to participate in the celebration, as he does not want to discuss certain issues with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, Delo.UA. reports.

“He does want to come because he does not want to discuss something with our presidents. They could not deny him his visit,” said Mikhail Pogrebinsky, director of the Kyiv Center for Political and Conflict Studies.

Experts also believe that he received a “bad” invitation from the Ukrainian side.

“He was so ‘politely’ invited that he had no choice but to politely refuse,” said the head of Gardarika Strategic Consulting Corporation, Kostiantyn Matviyenko.

The Embassy of Belarus in Ukraine refused to tell Delo.UA the reason of Alexander Lukashenko’s absence at the celebrations in Kyiv. “We have no comment on this subject,” said the embassy.