Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has warned that President Aliaksandr Lukashenka will carry out any order from the Kremlin, dismissing the idea that Western diplomacy could drive a wedge between Minsk and Moscow. Speaking from Kyiv during her first official visit to Ukraine, she told Euronews that Lukashenka's loyalty to Vladimir Putin is absolute and self-serving.
“He will fulfil all the orders of Putin, but he's doing this against the will of the Belarusian people,” Tsikhanouskaya said. “Lukashenka is serving Russia's interests, not the interests of the Belarusian people. He's ready to betray our sovereignty, our independence, just to stay in power.”
Her remarks come after French President Emmanuel Macron held a rare phone call with Lukashenka on Sunday, reportedly urging him not to escalate Belarus's involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine. The conversation touched on Minsk's potential military threats to northern Ukraine, a joint Russia-Belarus nuclear exercise, and rising tensions with NATO members in the Baltic region following drone incursions.
But Tsikhanouskaya dismissed the idea that such outreach could yield results. “Lukashenka and Putin have a symbiotic friendship, they support each other, they use each other. And of course, it's an illusion that they can be split,” she said.
Ukraine on Alert for New Offensive
Kyiv has repeatedly warned that Russia may be preparing a renewed offensive against northern Ukraine using Belarusian territory. In February 2022, Moscow launched its full-scale invasion partly from Belarus, moving troops toward the capital and northern regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that Kyiv is ready to take “preventive” measures against both Russia and the Belarusian leadership if threats materialise.
“The de facto leadership of Belarus must stay on its toes – that is, clearly understand that there will be consequences if aggressive actions against Ukraine, against our people, are taken,” Zelenskyy stated.
Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Belarus after the disputed 2020 election, stressed that ordinary Belarusians are not enemies of Ukraine. “Ukraine is defending the entire region from Russian imperialism,” she said. “The people of Belarus are allies and not enemies of Ukraine.”
Lukashenka has denied any intention to join the war, claiming he would only respond if Belarus itself were attacked. In April, he made unsubstantiated allegations of aggression from Poland and the Baltic states, vowing that Minsk and Moscow would retaliate with all available means, including nuclear weapons. “My task is to warn my neighbours, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and possibly to some extent Ukraine. May God protect them from aggression against Belarus. We do not want war, we are not planning to fight them,” Lukashenka said.
Despite such denials, NATO and Baltic states remain on edge. The alliance has been bracing against drone threats and a shifting US security posture, while Ukraine continues to face intense Russian strikes. Moscow has also ordered foreigners out of Kyiv as a new wave of attacks looms.
Tsikhanouskaya's visit to Kyiv underscores the solidarity between Ukraine and Belarusian democratic forces, even as Lukashenka tightens his alliance with Putin. The message from the opposition is clear: no amount of Western pressure will break the Kremlin's grip on Minsk.
