June 21, 2026, 9:49 p.mJune 21, 2026, 9:49 p.m
Volodymyr Zelenskyj demands actions instead of words from Alexander Lukashenko.Image: keystone
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to take concrete steps to de-escalate. “Lukashenko must demonstrate de-escalation beyond words,” he said in an interview with Ukrainian media. A mere apology from Moscow’s close ally is not enough: “He should keep his ‘I apologize’ to himself, that hasn’t worked since the first day of the war.”
Belarus is considered Russia’s closest ally. During the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian army also attacked from Belarusian territory towards the Ukrainian capital Kiev, but had to withdraw after heavy losses. Zelensky has been saying for weeks that Russia is trying to drag Belarus into the war and is warning Minsk against it.
Zelenskyj calls for relay stations to be switched off
Lukashenko recently called on Moscow and Kiev to end the war, saying a military victory for both sides was unrealistic. At the same time, he emphasized that Ukraine had nothing to fear from Belarus and apologized to Zelensky.
Kyiv currently feels threatened by several Russian relay stations on Belarusian territory. Such technical intermediate stations forward signals; According to the Ukrainian account, Russia uses them to control drones in attacks on targets in Ukraine. Zelensky had already asked Lukashenko several times to dismantle the systems: “If they don’t turn it off, we will turn it off, period.” (sda/dpa)