In brief

• Lukashenko said Minsk is ready to restore relations with Poland and urged Warsaw to end confrontation and mutual accusations.
• He criticised sanctions, bans and border fences as ineffective in resolving differences.
• The message came two days after his Kremlin meeting with Putin, though any link is unconfirmed.

Minsk calls for a reset

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Minsk is prepared to restore relations with Poland, which he described as having deteriorated sharply in recent years (Після переговорів із Путіним Лукашенко різко захотів дружити з Польщею: що він задумав – TSN) (Лукашенко висунув несподівану пропозицію Польщі – UNIAN). In a message to Poles marking their national Independence Day on November 11, he urged Warsaw to drop confrontation and mutual blame («На обиде соседа счастья не построишь». Лукашенко поздравил поляков – Reform.news).

Criticism of sanctions and border fences

Lukashenko argued that bans, sanctions, fences and walls cannot resolve the disagreements between the two countries. He said the sides hold different positions on a number of issues, as they always have, and asked whether both could approach them with understanding and a readiness for dialogue («На обиде соседа своего счастья не построить». Лукашенко обратился к полякам – Zerkalo). The message was published by the presidential press service and carried by the Belarusian state agency BelTA.

Timing after Moscow talks

The message came two days after Lukashenko met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on November 9. The two discussed bilateral cooperation, work within the Union State and the international situation. Whether the shift in tone toward Poland is linked to that meeting has not been established.

What comes next

Lukashenko said Belarus is interested in rebuilding trust and mutual respect as the basis for future cooperation with Poland. He stressed that relations cannot be built on resentment toward a neighbour and that restoring respect and trust is the way to overcome difficulties. No concrete steps, meetings or timetable were announced in the reports.