"I am grateful for what Belarus is doing for Ukraine and for the Minsk platform," the Ukrainian leader said during the expanded talks with Lukashenko in Zhitomir, quoted by the Belta agency. Zelensky has expressed confidence that the relations between the leaders would only improve over the years. The Ukrainian leader also thanked Belarus for its support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Zelensky commended the talks in the narrow format held earlier, which lasted for over two and a half hours. "We have had a wonderful discussion. I am very glad to meet you face to face. The talks were warm and friendly, and this is what I value most. We have also discussed the relations between our states," the Ukrainian leader said.

For his part, Lukashenko stressed that the basis for cooperation between Ukraine and Belarus is their trade-economic partnership. "You and I have agreed that this year’s trade turnover of $5.5 bln or $6 bln is nothing. You have said that we can achieve $10 bln. We used to have a turnover of over $8 bln [in previous years]," he said.

During the meeting, Lukashenko expressed his confidence that Zelensky will facilitate successful regulation of the conflict in Donbass. "Everything will be fine with the east [of Ukraine]. The perseverance shown by the current president to put an end to the war will bring success, I am sure of it," the Belarusian president said.

On September 26, Lukashenko stated his support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity during a meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian media. He noted that Ukraine must be united, stressing that the war in Donbass must be over by any means necessary.