Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is skeptical of Alexander Lukashenko’s statements about not wanting to be drawn into the war, noting that there are relay stations operating on Belarusian territory that guide Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian territory, and called on him to dismantle them, promising to do so himself if necessary.
"When Mr. Lukashenko says he doesn’t want to be dragged into the war, he must be honest – at least with his own people – because it’s not just him who could be dragged into the war; his entire country could be dragged in by Russia: from the very first days of this war, they killed children and adults – missiles were fired from Belarus, from his country. And back then, he also called to apologize, saying that he had no control over it, that Russia was acting on its own territory. And, of course, I don’t believe that, but he has already said this," Zelenskyy said at a joint press conference with Honduran President Nasry Asfura on Friday in Kyiv.
He said Russia will now continue to push Lukashenko into this war and that Lukashenko now "understands that Ukraine will respond."
"No need for extra words. Today, his towers have repeaters – Russian repeaters, Belarusian ones. What difference does it make to us? On his territory, along two regions bordering Ukraine, there is equipment that directs fire at the Ukrainian population – specifically, the civilian population. We don’t currently have such a strong front line there, where Ukraine and Belarus meet. Civilians are being killed there. There are repeaters on the relevant towers there. Can he take them down? What’s the point of saying he doesn’t want to be involved in the war? Let him take down that equipment; let him shut it down," the President of Ukraine said.
Zelenskyy is convinced that a week will be enough for Lukashenko to do this. "I think a week will be enough for him to do this. Why do I say a week? Because right now, every day, our civilians are dying and children are being wounded because of this. If he doesn’t do it, we will," he said.
The President of Ukraine is also convinced that Lukashenko can halt the supply of petroleum products used by Russian occupiers in the war against Ukraine.
"Just like his oil refining industry, for example. We’re doing everything we can to ensure the Russians can’t sell oil or supply their army with the necessary diesel and fuel. Because all of this is being used against us. Today, he is the main supplier – or one of the main suppliers – to the Russian army. It is Lukashenko himself; it is Belarus. Can this be stopped? I am confident that he has the power to do so. And it is precisely him who controls this," Zelenskyy said.
As reported, on June 16, Lukashenko apologized to Zelenskyy for his previous harsh remarks directed at him and assured him that no military action should be expected from Belarus, particularly from him personally. He also emphasized that Belarus has no intention of carrying out military actions against Ukraine. He also noted that he considers it unacceptable for the war between Ukraine and Russia to spread to Belarusian territory and that he has no interest in entering the war: "We have said many times that it is absolutely unacceptable for the war between Ukraine and Russia to spill over into Belarusian territory."
According to him, Belarus is "very vulnerable militarily," so it has no desire to enter the war. "If Ukraine begins to attack Belarus in the same way it is attacking Russia, Belarus will be as exposed to the Ukrainian military as the palm of a hand," Lukashenko said.
