Андрей Сибига. Фото: МИД Украины
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine would respond “symmetrically” to Belarus’ actions. He made the remarks in a conversation with journalists, Hromadske reports.
According to him, Ukraine does not expect Belarus to become directly involved in the war, but is closely monitoring all potential threats.
“We proceed from the assumption that they will not allow themselves to be drawn into this war. Because Ukraine will respond symmetrically. I think the Lukashenka regime understands this,” he said.
“Yesterday, for example, we received a note from the Belarusian side through our embassy in Minsk proposing some kind of access regime for the border area, referring to documents that are no longer in force. Ukraine has withdrawn from those agreements, both within the CIS framework and in its bilateral relations with Belarus. So such proposals should be interpreted correctly. Why now? Why the border area? What does this mean? Our Border Guard Service has already issued an official response, stating that it is not interested in such proposals,” Sybiha said.
Among the threats being monitored by Ukraine’s security services, the minister cited changes to Belarusian legislation, the restructuring of military units and districts, the buildup of military forces along the Ukrainian border, planned joint activities with Russia, and the use of Belarusian infrastructure to carry out attacks on Ukraine.
“The President of Ukraine has officially warned about this, and I believe the Belarusian side clearly understands that such warnings are not empty words. If they are voiced by the President of Ukraine, then, of course, we expect a response, and not only regarding this particular group of threats,” he said.