The Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is once again playing his most recognisable role - that of the „peacemaker." In an interview he apologised to Ukrainian President Zelensky and said Ukraine need not fear attacks from Belarusian territory. It sounds conciliatory. But history tells an entirely different story.

Because that same Lukashenko has, since 2014, directly and indirectly supported Russian aggression against Ukraine. In February 2022 he allowed the Russian army to use Belarusian territory to attack Ukraine, including launching rockets from Belarusian military bases. That's not an item from the distant past - it's the foundation of the entire invasion.

„If Zelensky was offended, I apologise to him; perhaps I went too far," Lukashenko said. But an apology from a man who let his country become a launch pad for rockets can hardly be taken seriously. This is a double game we know from up close too: preach peace loudly, do the opposite quietly.

The point is who's pulling the strings. For years Lukashenko has balanced between the role of mediator and the role of Moscow's obedient neighbour - and every time he plays „independent," it soon becomes clear his position is approved from outside. When a leader apologises with one hand while keeping the road open for someone else's rockets with the other, the question isn't whether we believe him - but why we'd ever think we should.