Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has described the sanctions against Alyaksandr Lukashenka as an adequate response, called on partner countries to exert pressure on Lukashenka, and expressed confidence in the European future of the Belarusian people.
“Today’s sanctions against Alyaksandr Lukashenka and his regime are a proper, necessary and adequate response to the hybrid and security threats they pose to Ukraine and the rest of Europe.
The regime in Minsk is an accomplice to Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine. It provided its territory for the attack and continues to assist Moscow in its genocidal war against Ukraine — with resources, components, materials, sanctions evasion and even a system of relay stations for controlling strike drones,” Sybiha said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry is calling on partners to follow Ukraine’s example and put pressure on Lukashenka.
“We urge our partners to follow our example and ensure that Lukashenka is subjected to adequate pressure for his crimes together with Vladimir Putin, for the oppression of the Belarusian people and for depriving generations of Belarusians of opportunities and a future,” Sybiha said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also stated that Ukraine is ready to accept a democratic Belarus into the Lublin Triangle together with Poland and Lithuania.
“We believe in the European future of the Belarusian people after they free themselves from Lukashenka’s oppression. In the future, we will be ready to accept a democratic Belarus within the framework of the Lublin Triangle together with Poland and Lithuania. Belarus belongs to Europe, not to the ‘Russian world’,” the Ukrainian foreign minister said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions against Alyaksandr Lukashenka on February 18. The sanctions were introduced, among other reasons, for the deployment in Belarus of a relay system for controlling strike drones and include the stripping of Ukrainian state awards, asset freezes, restrictions on trade operations, transit limitations, a ban on participation in privatisation and other measures.
