On the evening of January 25 in Vilnius, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a bilateral meeting with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus.
Speaking on behalf of Belarusians, Tsikhanouskaya expressed full support for the Ukrainian people fighting for freedom, noted President Zelenskyy’s exceptional personal leadership, and thanked him for his strong speech at the commemoration ceremony for the 1863 uprising, Tsikhanouskaya’s press service reported.
She thanked the president for supporting democratic Belarus and for the fact that Ukraine’s leadership distinguishes between Belarusians and the regime. Tsikhanouskaya separately mentioned Belarusian volunteers, volunteers’ networks, as well as partisans unlawfully sentenced for solidarity with and support for Ukraine, and Belarusians in Ukraine. The Belarusian leader also drew special attention to the fate of captured Belarusian volunteer fighters.
Tsikhanouskaya thanked the president and his team, in particular the head of the presidential administration, Kyrylo Budanov, for receiving the latest group of released political prisoners. The sides discussed the release process, further steps, and Ukraine’s readiness to continue providing support of this kind.
Tsikhanouskaya and Zelenskyy also discussed sanctions policy, a joint strategy with European and American partners, and holding Alyaksandr Lukashenka and his accomplices accountable, including for the deportation of Ukrainian children.
Tsikhanouskaya proposed appointing a special envoy on Belarus, as many other democratic countries have done, as well as closer cooperation with the Mission of Democratic Forces in Kyiv. Tsikhanouskaya’s visit to Ukraine was also discussed, with President Zelenskyy inviting Tsikhanouskaya to visit Kyiv.
Tsikhanouskaya stressed that the destinies of a free Belarus and Ukraine are interconnected, and said that she, her team, and the United Transitional Cabinet would welcome even closer cooperation with Ukraine.
