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Russia and Ukraine were locked in a serious stalemate in Moscow’s continuing invasion of the country and needed to sit down for peace talks, Belarusian president and Vladimir Putin’s close ally Alexander Lukashenko said. “There are enough problems on both sides and in general the situation is now seriously stalemate: no one can do anything and substantively strengthen or advance their position,” Mr Lukashenko said. “They’re there head-to-head, to the death, entrenched. People are dying,” he said over the weekend. This marks the first time the Belarusian president has come forward seeking truce in the conflict and called for a “stop” command. "We need to sit down at the negotiating table and come to an agreement," Mr Lukashenko said in a question and answer video posted on the website of the Belarusian state news agency BelTA. "As I once said: no preconditions are needed. The main thing is that the ‘stop’ command is given," he said. A geographically closer nation to Russia, Belarus’s territory was used as a launch pad for the Russian preident’s full-scale invasion in February last year. He is also the only international leader to have frequently met Mr Putin since the conflict engulfed Ukraine. He said that Ukraine’s demands for Russia to quit its territory needs to be resolved at the negotiating table so that “nobody dies”. In June this year, Mr Lukashenko said his country had started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, some of which he said were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Mr Lukashenko has relied on Russian subsidies and political support to rule the ex-Soviet nation with an iron hand for nearly three decades. In what is a purported exchange for the strategic ties between Belarus and Russia, he allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops into Ukraine in February 2022 at the start of the invasion. Russia deployed forces to Belarusian territory under the pretext of military drills and then sent them rolling into Ukraine as part of the invasion that began last year. Mr Lukashenko also publicly supported what Mr Putin calls a “special military operation” inside Ukraine, alleging at a meeting with Mr Putin in early March that Ukraine planned to attack Belarus and that Moscow’s offensive prevented that. He said he brought a map to show the Russian president from where the alleged attack was supposed to take place, but offered no other evidence to back the claim. The vast war frontline in Ukraine has moved little in the past year despite Kyiv’s gruelling months-long offensive. Major military warfare is concentrated in eastern and southern Ukraine’s pockets. Ukraine has continuously rejected the proposal of peace talks and imposed pre-conditions that Russia withdraws every single of its military personnel from Ukrainian soil without keeping the territory from where Russian troops fire missiles. Ukraine said it will not rest until it ejected every last Russian soldier from its territory. It said the invasion was an imperial-style land grab by Russia, the world’s biggest nuclear power. American president Joe Biden said last year that a direct confrontation between Nato and Russia would mean the Third World War. On Saturday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said his 10-point peace plan, which includes calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, is the only way to end the war. Read More Russia-Ukraine war: Putin ally Lukashenko warns of ‘serious stalemate’ Crowd storms Russian airport in search of Jewish passengers from Israel flight If Putin dies, this is what would happen in Russia Crowd storms Russian airport in search of Jewish passengers from Israel flight If Putin dies, this is what would happen in Russia Ukraine bombards Russia with drones as Putin suffers losses in fight for Avdiivka

An overview of the media in Belarus, including links to broadcasters and newspapers.

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A Brit was left bemused after being told there was no “vino” for sale at a Rugby World Cup stadium in France. Linda Russ, 64, says women weren’t catered for at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille - as only beer was available. The stadium is located in the historic French province of Provence, which is famous for its wines. But Linda claims the irony was missed by staff - who she says stared back at her with a blank expression and said “non” when she asked for a glass. She was in the south of France with a group of friends to watch England and Scotland’s first games over the weekend. Linda, a retired school operations manager from Bristol, said: “Being in Provence, you would have thought they’d have wine. “The restaurants nearby had it, but there was none in the stadium. It was strange. “There were no alcoholic drinks at the Vélodrome for women. The only alcoholic drink available was beer and it ran out on both days before the match started. “We asked for wine and they said no. “We always go to the Bristol Bears rugby back home. It’s usually always cider or wine for the girls. “I think they just weren’t equipped to deal with rugby fans. “The people serving were so young, we asked for “vino” and they couldn’t understand us at all.” Wine is thought to have been made in Provence for at least 2,600 years, ever since the ancient Greeks founded the city of Marseille in 600 BC. And France and wine are synonymous the world over. Linda, who often goes to rugby games with family and friends, says she enjoys a drink while watching. She said: “We were thinking they may not have cider, which is what we normally have as we’re from Bristol. “We even tried ordering vino blanc and vino rouge, but they didn’t understand us at all!” Linda says the beer that was available quickly ran out too - which she views as a man’s drink. She said: “It was very strange that there seemed to only be alcohol for the men and not for the women. “We also noticed the toilets didn’t stock up on paper towels from the previous night in the women’s toilets. “It was really poor preparation - they were completely overwhelmed.” Asked how the stadium should better prepare for games, Linda said: “Get some wine in, get more beer in, and be more prepared.” “They’ve got to realise us rugby fans drink a lot.” The Stade Vélodrome and World Rugby were approached for comment. Read More Warning to Brits who dined at popular French restaurant after woman dies during botulism outbreak Chorus of disapproval: National anthems sung by schoolkids at Rugby World Cup out of tune with teams France sends the army to ensure water to drought-stricken Indian Ocean island of Mayotte Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv ‘retakes village near Bakhmut’ after Crimea strikes - live Russian pilot tries to shoot down RAF spy plane: ‘You have the target’ Analysis: What we learnt from Vladimir Putin’s summit with Kim Jong-un in Russia