(Bloomberg) -- Belarus's authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, rebuffed European efforts to mediate the conflict in the former Soviet republic and has refused to take calls from some Western leaders, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“We have shown that we are willing to look for a dialog with Russia and also with Belarus,” Merkel told reporters in southern France, where she was meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. “Lukashenko has so far not talked to anybody on the phone.”
Read More: EU Rejects Belarus Election, Stops Short of Calling for New Vote
The remarks come a day after European Union leaders called for a peaceful transition of power in Belarus where Lukashenko, who has held onto power for 26 years, claimed a landslide victory in a disputed election Aug. 9. Protests and a violent government crackdown ensued that has drawn western condemnation.
“The European Union will mobilize to support the hundreds of people who are peacefully demonstrating for their rights, liberty and sovereignty,” Macron said. “The European Union stands ready to mediate if Belarus wishes.”
The EU is treading carefully in an effort to avoid an escalation that could draw the Kremlin further into the conflict. The bloc's leaders gave their approval for sanctions that would target people responsible for violence and vote-rigging but stopped short of calling for a new election.
“We want a frank dialog because we are convinced that the stability of relations between the European Union and Russia is also playing out,” Macron said. “We don't what to see a repeat of what we saw in past years in Ukraine.”
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