Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Vilnius on January 25. She noted that she was honored to meet the head of the Ukrainian state on that very day.
According to Tsikhanouskaya, their conversation confirmed the shared aspirations of Ukraine and Belarus, and she sees the future of both peoples as European. The opposition figure added that Zelensky embodies the courage of a nation that does not yield its freedom.
“I had the honor of meeting President Zelensky today in Vilnius. He embodies the courage of a nation that refuses to yield its freedom.”
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Key takeaways from the meeting
According to Tsikhanouskaya’s Telegram channel, the parties expressed their support for the Ukrainian people and noted the reception in the country of freed Belarusian political prisoners. They also discussed Kyiv’s willingness to provide similar support in the future.
The conversation touched on sanctions policy, a joint strategy with Europe and the United States, and bringing Belarusian leadership to account, including for the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Tsikhanouskaya proposed that Ukraine appoint a special envoy on Belarus issues and establish closer cooperation with the Mission of Democratic Forces in Kyiv. The visit of Tsikhanouskaya to Ukraine was also mentioned: Zelensky invited her to visit Kyiv, according to the report.
Zelensky did not comment separately on the meeting. He published a photo with Tsikhanouskaya in a post dedicated to commemorating participants of the January Uprising at the Rasų Cemetery in Vilnius. In the post, the president called these events an uprising of the Ukrainian, Polish, Lithuanian, and Belarusian peoples against the Russian Empire and oppression.
In his speech today, Zelensky referred to the protests in Belarus in 2020, expressing the view that they should have succeeded to prevent threats from the region, and that Europe and the global community should support their participants. It was also known that Tsikhanouskaya and Zelensky had previously met in 2021.