President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky accused Belarus of aiding Russian drone attacks on Ukraine and warned that Minsk had a week to remove communications equipment allegedly helping to guide attacks from Belarusian territory. Otherwise, he said, Ukraine will take measures on its own. Kyiv Independent reports.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Kiev with the Honduran president Nasry AsfurZelenski sharpened his criticism of the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. He pointed out that, despite his claims that Belarus does not want to be drawn into the war, the regime continues to help Russia’s military campaign.
“When Lukashenko says that he does not want to participate in the war, he should be honest, at least to his own people. He is not the only one who could be drawn into the war. Russia could draw the whole of Belarus into the conflict,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said that Russia has been using Belarusian territory since the first days of the all-out invasion, recalling that missiles were fired from Belarus at targets inside Ukraine. Zelenski also referred to earlier conversations with Lukashenka, stating that the Belarusian leader tried to distance himself from those attacks, claiming that they were carried out exclusively by Russian forces. Zelenski said that he does not accept such an explanation.
The warning referred to what Zelensky described as relay systems installed on communications towers in two Belarusian regions along the border with Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian president, this equipment is used to coordinate Russian drone attacks on civilian areas, not on frontline positions.
“He can remove it. If he really does not want to participate in this war, let him remove that equipment and turn it off,” said the Ukrainian president.
Zelensky said that the continuous operation of these systems contributes to the daily civilian casualties in Ukraine. He added that a week is more than enough time for the Belarusian authorities to dismantle the equipment.
“This is why our civilians are dying every day,” he said. “If he doesn’t do it, we will.”
The statements represent one of the most direct public warnings Kiev has issued to Minsk since Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Although Belarusian forces did not formally enter the war, Belarus allowed Russia to use its territory for military operations and logistics, including during the initial attack on Kiev.
Zelensky also accused Belarus of playing an important role in supplying fuel used by Russian forces. He argued that Minsk can limit exports that indirectly support Russian military operations.
Earlier this week, Zelensky said Russia was still looking for ways to draw Belarus deeper into the conflict, possibly as part of a broader effort to pressure NATO’s eastern flank. On June 16, Lukashenko stated that Belarus does not pose any military threat to Ukraine and apologized to Zelensky for earlier harsh statements.
Lukashenko said his remarks were in response to what he described as threats from Ukraine, which included claims that Kiev had identified hundreds of potential targets in Belarus.
“If Volodymyr was offended, I apologize to him for those words,” Lukashenko said, adding that he may have spoken too harshly “given that Ukraine is in a war conflict.”
