Zelenskyy expects concrete steps from Lukashenko: let him keep his "I’m sorry" to himself
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko must stop aiding Russia and demonstrate this through his actions, as words alone are not enough.
He made these remarks in an interview with "TSN. Tyzhden", according to Censor.NET.
An appeal to Lukashenko
Zelenskyy explained that before making public statements, he takes "certain de-escalatory steps behind the scenes", and that previously "at the level of intelligence and the military, Belarus’s leadership had received a message: stop helping the Russians".
According to the president, Kyiv has repeatedly demanded that Minsk dismantle the relay stations on Belarusian territory that are helping Russian drones to attack Ukrainian cities.
"The issue with the relay stations (on Belarusian territory – ed.) is not yesterday's story; it is a long-standing process, and it has resulted in casualties on the Ukrainian side alone… Let him keep his ‘I'm sorry’ to himself. It hasn’t worked since the very first day of the war. I explained to him: step number one – no technical support for Russian relay stations. Shut it down, take it down and show us that it’s been taken down. And we’ll be done with this issue. As this has been communicated to them repeatedly, we’ve moved beyond the stage of issuing a public warning. If he doesn’t take it down, we’ll take it down – that’s it. What will happen in a week’s time – either them or us…", said the head of state.
Furthermore, Zelenskyy called on Belarus to stop supplying fuel to the Russian occupying army.
"We are also telling them, sending a signal – please stop supplying fuel to the Russian army. But this is just a signal; there are no threats here. We are simply saying that we can see what is happening," the president stated.
What led up to this?
The day before, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the "apology" from Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and gave Minsk a week to remove the equipment used by the Russians to direct attacks on Ukraine – otherwise Kyiv would do it itself.
