REUTERS

Belarus' officials say they will not send their peacekeepers to Donbas, eastern Ukraine, as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.

"There are more than 40 countries that have preliminarily agreed to take part in the peacekeeping mission. Therefore, as Kyiv sees it, neither Belarus nor Kazakhstan will participate in it," Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Temporary Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Yuriy Hrymchak told TV Channel 112 Ukraine.

In his words, Belarus has very little experience in peacekeeping, as only few Belarusian officers have taken part in peacekeeping missions abroad. "So, we've got no questions here," he said.

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Russia in turn demands that there should be no NATO members among the nations forming the UN peacekeeping mission that might be deployed to Donbas, he said.

The idea of sending peacekeeping to Ukraine's east is supported by the United States, Germany, and France. "The key countries that are engaged in the [peace] process are ready to support the proposals put forth by Ukraine," he added.