Russian, Ukrainian negotiators did 'more than they could' - Lukashenko

MINSK. March 1 (Interfax) - Russian and Ukrainian negotiators did more than they could at the talks on Monday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"They did more than they could. They did their job perfectly over five hours of the first stage," the presidential press service quoted Lukashenko as saying at an expanded meeting of the Belarusian Security Council on Tuesday.

The meeting seems to inspire cautious optimism, he said.

Belarus is doing everything it can to help the conflicting sides find points of contact, Lukashenko said. "Like no one else, we, Belarusians, are ready for talks with anyone at any time in order to create a thin thread of mutual trust for the only goal, which is peace in the region," Lukashenko said.

He welcomed the fact that talks were organized in Belarus as a result of phone calls with the heads of Ukraine and Russia and said that was not easy.

"If I tell you how we organized those talks, that would be a real thriller," Lukashenko said.