President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met for the first time in a targeted bilateral meeting with the head of the Belarusian government-in-exile and Belarusian President-elect, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
(Several previous meetings took place within the framework of other international events.)
Until now, the Ukrainians have been very reserved toward the Belarusian opposition, not wanting to give Lukashenko’s Belarus any reasons for greater involvement in the war.
Zelenskyy noted regarding the meeting that Ukrainians and Belarusians share the same enemy and must stand together.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya emphasized the participation of Belarusian volunteers fighting alongside the Ukrainian Armed Forces. She thanked Ukraine for its support of Belarusian political prisoners and discussed sanction policies against the Lukashenko regime.
Furthermore, she proposed the appointment of a special Ukrainian envoy for Belarus—similar to what many democratic countries have done—and the deepening of cooperation with the Office of Democratic Forces of Belarus in Kyiv.
President Zelenskyy subsequently invited her to visit Kyiv officially for the first time.
#ЖывеБеларусь
