Belarusian leadership must stay alert and feel there will be consequences for aggression against Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the city of Slavutych in the Kyiv region and said Ukraine was ready to act preemptively in response to threats from Belarus and Russia’s border regions.
He said this in an address, Censor.NET informs.
Border protection
The head of state noted that he had held a meeting with the heads of communities in the northern regions, Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, where strengthening security was the key topic.
"It is very important to support our people here and strengthen protection. This is exactly what we are working on. This concerns protective structures, fortifications, and other measures. The border will be reinforced further, as will our Defense and Security Forces deployed specifically in this direction, toward Chernihiv and Kyiv from the territory of our neighbours in Belarus, whom Russia very much wants to drag deeper into this war, and from the Bryansk region," Zelenskyy stressed.
The President separately warned the Lukashenko regime and the Russian occupiers that Ukraine was ready to act preemptively.
"We have the capability to strengthen our defenses. We also have the capability to act preemptively regarding Russian territories, from where a threat may come, and regarding the de facto leadership of Belarus, which must stay alert, that is, truly feel that there will be consequences if there are aggressive actions against Ukraine, against our people," he said.
Zelenskyy also recalled that Ukraine clearly remembers the events at the start of the full-scale invasion.
"We remember that in 2022, the offensive also came from the territory of Belarus. We will not forget this. Ukraine’s Defense Forces, Security Forces and our intelligence agencies know what the threats are and how to respond, to respond fairly, without a doubt," the head of state summed up.
Background
- On 21 May, Alexander Lukashenko announced that he was ready to hold a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy "anywhere in Belarus or Ukraine" if the Ukrainian leader "wants to talk about something or consult". At the same time, Putin’s accomplice again justified himself by saying that Belarus would allegedly be drawn into the war only in the event of "aggression" against its territory.
- Meanwhile, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly warned that Russia is doing everything it can to drag Belarus deeper into the full-scale war. In particular, this concerned the risks of a new attack being prepared from Belarusian territory against Ukraine’s northern regions or one of the NATO countries.
