Item 1 of 5 Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visit the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine outside the St. Michael’s Cathedral, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 25, 2026. REUTERS\/Valentyn Ogirenko<\/p>\n
[1\/5]Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visit the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine outside the St. Michael’s… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab<\/a> Read moreTsikhanouskaya pays first ‘working visit’ to KyivShe says only a democratic Belarus can help bring regional stabilityLukashenko denies plans to join war but vows joint defence with Russia if attackedUkraine warns of response to any \u200bBelarusian provocationsKYIV, May 25 (Reuters) – Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Kyiv on Monday \u200cfollowing weeks of mounting warnings from Ukrainian officials about Russian plans to draw Minsk more deeply into the war<\/a> against Ukraine.Tsikhanouskaya arrived a day after one of the war’s biggest strike<\/a>s on the Ukrainian capital killed four people and damaged historical sites, \u200band amid Russian threats to launch further heavy attacks on Kyiv.<\/p>\n Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n Tsikhanouskaya, an opponent of Belarus’ President Alexander \u200bLukashenko, a close ally of Moscow, said only a democratic Belarus could become a \u2060source of stability and security in the region.<\/p>\n “Lukashenko’s rhetoric is shifting: we are preparing for war, of \u200bcourse, we want peace, but we are gearing up for war. And that, of course, is very alarming \u200bfor people,” she told reporters after meeting with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, on what she said was her first “working visit” to Kyiv.<\/p>\n Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has recently warned of Belarus becoming more involved in Russia’s full-scale war, now well into \u200bits fifth year. He said Ukraine would beef up its northern defences in preparation for any possible \u200bnew Russian offensive, including from Belarusian territory.<\/p>\n Last week Lukashenko dismissed any notion that Minsk would be dragged<\/a> into the war, but \u200csaid that, \u2060together with Russia, it would defend itself in the event of aggression.STAUNCH MOSCOW ALLY<\/p>\n Minsk has remained Moscow’s staunchest supporter during the war. Russian drones have crossed Belarus while attacking Ukraine, and Minsk said it has deployed the Russian Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile system. The two countries also held nuclear drills last week.<\/p>\n Asked \u200babout a phone call that French \u200bPresident Emmanuel Macron held \u2060on Sunday with Lukashenko, Tsikhanouskaya described it as “a warning” from Europe.<\/p>\n “If you take any steps to escalate the situation… there will be a response from our side,” \u200bTsikhanouskaya said, paraphrasing what she believed to be Europe’s message to the veteran \u200bBelarusian leader.<\/p>\n Lukashenko \u2060has been seeking an easing of Western sanctions imposed on his country over his violent crackdown on protesters following a disputed election in 2020 that Tsikhanouskaya and her supporters say she won. The sanctions were further tightened \u2060over his \u200bsupport for Russia’s war.<\/p>\n Sybiha reiterated that Ukraine would respond in kind \u200bin the event of any Belarusian provocations.<\/p>\n He also dismissed comments by Lukashenko that he was ready to meet Zelenskiy if the Ukrainian \u200bleader wanted to “talk about something”, saying Kyiv already “had people to meet with”.<\/p>\n Reporting by Yuliia Dysa Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab<\/a><\/p>\n
\nEditing by Gareth Jones<\/p>\n