President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky shared his thoughts on the possible “West-2025” military exercises planned to take place in Belarus. He noted that these exercises might be conducted deep within the country, which would help avoid a direct threat to Ukraine’s borders.
At a briefing for journalists, Zelensky emphasized that there is a theoretical threat of a Russian military offensive on the Zhytomyr, Volyn, and Chernihiv regions, using the exercises in Belarus as a cover.
“I think Lukashenko himself is afraid that we in Ukraine will consider the presence of the (Russian, – ed.) contingent at the exercises as preparation for offensive actions. He understands, after our corresponding moves on the Kursk direction, that if we feel threatened – what we are capable of. And I believe he will be an influential factor in whether anything can be initiated from the Belarusian side during the exercises,”
– Volodymyr Zelensky
The president also noted that according to foreign intelligence, the exercises might be held deep inside Belarus to avoid provoking Ukraine into responding.
“I don’t know if that’s true. I just had the latest report a couple of days ago from the Foreign Intelligence Service, and there was such a signal. But all of this needs to be verified. The risk with the ‘Russians’ exercises is, unfortunately, historically known to us.”
– Volodymyr Zelensky
Earlier, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin stated that the main maneuvers of the joint military exercises with Russia, “West-2025,” were moved deeper into Belarusian territory, away from the western borders. According to him, this decision reflects a readiness for dialogue, compromise, and reducing tension in the region.