Ukraine turns up heat on Lukashenko despite limited signs of new military threat
Over four years into an all-out war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Kyiv in an official capacity on May 25.
In the weeks prior to the visit, Zelensky has been increasingly vocal regarding a deeper involvement of Alexander Lukashenko's Belarus in Russia's war against Ukraine.
According to Zelensky, Russia is plotting major attacks on both Ukraine and NATO utilizing Belarusian territory, and plans to deploy additional signal repeaters in the country to guide its combat drones.
While Belarus served as a launchpad for Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, it stopped short of committing its own troops to the battlefield. Instead, Minsk has functioned as Russia's rear base — helping to circumvent sanctions, manufacturing military supplies in an area shielded from Ukrainian drone strikes, and transferring its own stockpiles of Soviet-era weaponry to Moscow.
Last week, Belarus's participation in Russian-led tactical nuclear drills further fueled Kyiv's concerns.
Minsk has so far remained largely silent on the allegations as Lukashenko prepares for a critical round of negotiations with Washington scheduled for the coming weeks. An upcoming visit by a U.S. delegation could help.
In the weeks prior to the visit, Zelensky has been increasingly vocal regarding a deeper involvement of Alexander Lukashenko's Belarus in Russia's war against Ukraine.
According to Zelensky, Russia is plotting major attacks on both Ukraine and NATO utilizing Belarusian territory, and plans to deploy additional signal repeaters in the country to guide its combat drones.
While Belarus served as a launchpad for Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, it stopped short of committing its own troops to the battlefield. Instead, Minsk has functioned as Russia's rear base — helping to circumvent sanctions, manufacturing military supplies in an area shielded from Ukrainian drone strikes, and transferring its own stockpiles of Soviet-era weaponry to Moscow.
Last week, Belarus's participation in Russian-led tactical nuclear drills further fueled Kyiv's concerns.
Minsk has so far remained largely silent on the allegations as Lukashenko prepares for a critical round of negotiations with Washington scheduled for the coming weeks. An upcoming visit by a U.S. delegation could help.
