Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev was nearly reached in early 2022 when Russian forces were near the Ukrainian capital, but the deal was derailed because Vladimir Putin was deceived by "certain politicians and forces" into withdrawing troops. He specifically alleged that the Vatican, Israel, and a "Jewish lobby" falsely represented President Zelensky's willingness to negotiate peace, leading Putin to believe a settlement was genuine when, in Lukashenko's view, Ukraine was on the verge of defeat and the conflict could have ended quickly with a Russian victory.