The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has shared the EU's assessment of the non-democratic nature of the presidential elections in Belarus and supported the introduction of EU sanctions against those guilty of falsifying the results of the presidential elections.

Some 228 MPs voted for relevant decree No. 3053A on the Ukrainian parliament's statement on the situation in Belarus.

"We join the European Union's assessment of the non-democratic nature of the presidential elections in Belarus and support the imposition of sanctions against those responsible for falsifying election results and using violence against protesters," the MPs said in the statement.

According to the statement, the presidential elections in Belarus were held with significant violations, and the Ukrainian parliament believes that they were not liberal and fair, and took place in the absence of competition between candidates, free media, as well as reputable observers from international organizations such as the OSCE, Council of Europe.

MPs condemned the use of excessive force and cruelty by the law enforcement agencies of Belarus towards the protesters.

"The Verkhovna Rada demands the release of all detainees without exception and hopes that the official authorities of Belarus will not allow further escalation and tension in the Belarusian society, persecution, both for political reasons, of their opponents and citizens of Belarus who took to the streets of cities to show their disagreement with the actions official authorities," the MPs said in the statement.

The Verkhovna Rada also condemned the illegal detention of Ukrainian citizens and promised that it would protect their rights and interests by all legal means.

The MPs said in the statement that Ukraine supports the sovereignty of Belarus and rejects accusations of the Belarusian side of Ukraine's involvement in the destabilization of the situation in Belarus.

"We consider inadmissible any intention to involve the forces of the Russian Federation and the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] to resolve the situation in Belarus. We will consider such a step a direct threat to the European security and security of Ukraine," the MPs said.

The Verkhovna Rada called on the Belarusian authorities to engage in an equal dialogue with society in order to find ways of a peaceful way out of the crisis.