Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has revealed that he recently held talks in Minsk with representatives from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration. This meeting comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries, following Zelensky’s threats to neutralize communication relay stations in Belarus that are allegedly used to guide Russian drones attacking Ukraine.
During a meeting with Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobiev, Lukașenko stated, “Recently, representatives of Zelensky were here.” He urged the Ukrainian delegates to convey to Zelensky that if he believes he can speak to Belarus in this manner while dragging the country into war, then he must understand that the nature of the conflict will change dramatically.
Lukașenko was referring to Zelensky’s ultimatum last week, where he demanded the deactivation of relay stations near the Belarus-Ukraine border. Zelensky threatened that if these installations were not neutralized, Ukraine would take unilateral action against them.
On Wednesday evening, Zelensky announced that these relay stations had ceased operations in Belarus. He said, “Since June 22, the relay stations have stopped functioning on Belarusian territory.” However, he added, “Whether they have been dismantled or not, I honestly do not know yet. But we are trying to find out.”
Belarus’s Stance on War Involvement
In his Thursday statement, Lukașenko did not confirm the deactivation of the relay stations but emphasized that Zelensky and his team understand Belarus’s position: the country does not want to be involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine. “We do not want war,” Lukașenko asserted, cryptically referring to Ukraine as a “bargaining chip” in a larger game.
Zelensky has repeatedly warned in recent months that Moscow intends to draw Belarus deeper into the conflict, especially after Russian forces utilized Belarusian territory for their northern offensive at the beginning of the 2022 invasion.
Reacting to these claims on Thursday, Belarus Defense Minister Viktor Hrenin stated that while there are indeed attempts to involve Belarus in the war, such efforts come not from Russia, but from the West supporting Ukraine. He remarked, “The situation along our borders is extremely unstable and escalating. Beyond our borders, NATO troop formations are consolidating, infrastructure is being modernized, military budgets of neighboring states are increasing, and politicians are making bellicose statements.”
He continued, “Efforts are underway to extend and even expand the hot conflict initiated by the West in Ukraine. Today, we are increasingly aware of a blatant attempt to drag Belarus into war.” Following Ukraine’s announcement to bolster its border with Belarus, Lukașenko stated that he would only engage in war under one scenario. “Zelensky needs to calm down,” he added, noting that Russia is also unable to win the war in Ukraine as it is “running out of people.”
Russia also denies attempts to involve Belarus in the conflict and confirmed on Thursday that it would support its ally in accordance with existing bilateral security agreements. However, Ukraine remains concerned about the cooperation between Moscow and Minsk beyond military matters, particularly in energy assistance, as Belarus supports Russia amidst ongoing Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries, leading to a fuel crisis in the country.
According to Reuters, in the first five months of this year, gasoline shipments from Belarusian refineries to Russia increased nearly thirteenfold compared to the same period last year, while diesel shipments tripled. Zelensky’s recent ultimatum to Lukashenko also included a request to halt fuel supplies to Russia.
