The Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada will demand explanations from MP Yevhen Shevchenko regarding his meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, whom the EU and the United States do not recognize as legally elected.

"It is expected that the faction will demand explanations from Mr. Shevchenko after his return," First Deputy Head of the faction Oleksandr Korniyenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

He said that neither the Servant of the People party, nor the parliamentary faction of the same name, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the President's Office of Ukraine delegated Shevchenko to hold any negotiations with Belarusian officials. According to Korniyenko, Shevchenko is not a member of the parliamentary delegation in the Republic of Belarus.

"Accordingly, all the meetings that he will hold are his personal initiative. He acts as a private person, not a representative of the government," the first deputy head of the Servant of the People faction said.

At the same time, Korniyenko said that such actions violate the procedure for implementing Ukraine's foreign policy and the principle of coordinated actions of all branches of government in international relations.

In turn, Shevchenko said on the air of the Nash television channel that he had reported to the leadership of the faction about his intention to go to Minsk to meet with Lukashenko. He said that according to the law on the status of a MP, he has the right "to relations with representatives of other states" within his powers and "does not meddle in the president's affairs, in his politics."

In addition, the MP said he is not afraid of a possible expulsion from the Servant of the People faction.

"I have always said that if the faction decides to expel me, then these are the faction's problems, not mine. I do not hold on to the faction. Secondly, I think about the future of Ukraine and the interests of the Ukrainian people," Shevchenko said.

Earlier on Tuesday, MP from the European Solidarity faction Oleksiy Honcharenko said on his Telegram channel that MP from the Servant of the People Yevhen Shevchenko held a meeting with Lukashenko in Minsk on April 20. The BelTA edition said that Shevchenko's meeting with Lukashenko took place in the Palace of Independence.

This is not Shevchenko's first visit to Minsk: on February 11, 2021, he attended the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, which was chaired by Lukashenko.