The leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, visited Kiev today, just a day after the largest Russian missile attack on Ukraine this year, at a time when international concerns about Belarus' involvement in the war are growing significantly.
The visit comes as Western leaders are closely monitoring the movements of Alexander Lukashenko's regime and the support it may provide to Russia's offensive against Ukraine.
Last week, Russia and Belarus held joint nuclear maneuvers, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Belarusian territory could be used to open a new Russian front in northern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation with Lukashenko, the first contact between them since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022.
According to the French presidency, Macron warned of the "dangers" that Belarus' involvement in Russian aggression would bring.
At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned of further “systemic” attacks on Kiev and urged foreign nationals to leave the Ukrainian capital. Moscow claims that the Ukrainian attack on a dormitory in Starobilsk was the “last straw,” while Kiev insists it only strikes military targets.
According to the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, Russia is using terror against Ukrainian cities after being stuck on the front line.
The situation has become even more worrying after Russia's use of the hypersonic Oreshnik missile, which President Vladimir Putin declared could reach ten times the speed of sound and evade air defenses.
On the other hand, Tsikhanouskaya stated in Kiev that the Lukashenko regime continues "hybrid attacks, nuclear blackmail and threats to the region," while emphasizing that Belarus knows what it needs to do to improve relations with the West.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the latest Russian attacks have left at least 91 people injured in Kiev, while fears of a new regional escalation remain high.
