Miss Belarus, Maria Vasilevich and Alexander Lukashenk

In 2014 Lukashenko inserted himself into the conflict in eastern Ukraine when he offered to broker a deal that would, it was hoped, end the Russian-backed insurgency there. A pair of meetings were held in Minsk with Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Pres. Petro Poroshenko, and the result was a 13-point protocol that laid the foundation for a cease-fire.