Members of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada marked Freedom Day during today’s session. From the parliamentary rostrum, they wished Belarus freedom on the 108th anniversary of the proclamation of the Belarusian People’s Republic.
“Dear Belarusians! You will be free. We know this. The Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR) will inevitably defeat the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). Belarus must be free. We in Ukraine know that only a free Belarus will allow Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and the entire Black Sea region to live freely and safely. Today, Belarus is under the heel of an occupier.
Freedom Day is the day when the occupier will die. It is the day of the occupier’s death. And all occupiers who are now on Ukrainian land, who are now on Belarusian land, will disappear, as it is said in the Ukrainian anthem, ‘like dew in the sun.’ That is how it will be. Belarus and Ukraine together will be in a free Europe. Glory to Ukraine! Long live Belarus!” MP Oleksiy Goncharenko said from the rostrum.
Other members of the “For a Democratic Belarus” group in the Ukrainian parliament also took the floor.
Lawmakers belonging to the inter-factional group “For a Democratic Belarus” also issued a written statement.
It states that Belarus today lives under conditions of dual occupation: by the Lukashenka regime and by Russia, which has turned the country into a staging ground for the destruction of Ukraine. The deputies emphasize that, under international humanitarian law, Belarus should be regarded as an occupied territory.
“But there is another Belarus — one that is fighting. On this day, we bow our heads with special gratitude to the fighters of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, who since the first days of the full-scale invasion have defended Ukrainian land on the most intense sections of the front. They are defending the idea for which we are fighting: the fate of a people cannot be imposed by force — it is determined by those who are ready to stand for it. Their bravery on the battlefield proves what we have always declared: the freedom of Ukraine and the freedom of Belarus are inseparable. The true independence of Belarus will be achieved, among other things, in this war.
A democratic change of power in Minsk is a matter of security for the entire region. Under Lukashenka’s control, Ukraine’s northern border remains a direction of threat,” the statement said.
The deputies called on the president, parliament, and government of Ukraine to sever diplomatic relations with Lukashenka, officially recognize Belarus as a territory occupied by Russia, and transfer the premises of the Belarusian embassy in Kyiv to democratic representatives of the Belarusian people. They also called on the international community to strengthen sanctions.
