Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, called for peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, which he characterized as a “scuffle.”

Belarus has remained neutral throughout the war, but it hosts thousands of Russian troops and served as the staging ground for the initial thrust into Kyiv in the opening days of the invasion. In a recorded interview set to air on the Russian state news channel Russia 1 on Sunday, Lukashenko cast a different message than Putin by suggesting that Russia and Ukraine should come to the negotiating table.