Leaders keep a wary eye on Belarus for any signs it might offer Russia help in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus’ exiled opposition leader visited Kiev on Monday as the Ukrainian capital cleans up in Russia’s wake Biggest missile attack of the yearand world leaders closely monitored how much support the Belarusian government was ready to provide in this regard All-out occupation of Moscow of Ukraine.
Russia and its ally Belarus were kept joint nuclear exercises Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has increasingly warned in recent days that Belarus could be a launching pad for Russia to open a new front in northern Ukraine. During Moscow’s invasion on February 24, 2022, some Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarusian territory.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday, their first meeting since the start of the all-out war, in another sign of growing concerns about any role for Belarus.
As this conflict has dragged on for more than four years, the Russian army has been caught up in a difficult and costly 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) slog. front line It snakes mostly through eastern and southern Ukraine.
“Russia is deadlocked on the battlefield, so it is terrorizing Ukraine with deliberate attacks on city centers,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said in a post on X after the weekend bombing in the Ukrainian capital, which killed two people and damaged buildings.
Since American-made air defense missiles are insufficient Iran warIt is more difficult for Ukraine to stop Russian missiles. Meanwhile, US efforts Little progress has been made to stop the conflict and it is currently at a standstill.
Countries view Belarus cautiously
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskayawho arrived by train for her first visit to Kyiv on Monday, said that France wants to send a warning to Belarus.
“The main goal is to warn Lukashenko that it is unacceptable to drag Belarus into war,” Tsikhanouskaya told The Associated Press on Sunday. he said.
“The Lukashenko regime knows very well what needs to be done to improve ties with the European Union, but this is not happening; instead, hybrid attacks, nuclear blackmail and threats to the entire region continue,” he said.
Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for more than three decades, relies on the Kremlin for cheap energy, loans and other support.
In the call, Macron “underlined the risks for Belarus of allowing itself to be dragged into Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” according to a vice president in the French leader’s office who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with presidential palace practices.
Macron also spoke with Zelenskyy on Sunday.
A short statement issued by the Belarusian presidential press service said that the call took place “at the initiative of the French side” and that the two leaders discussed “regional issues” and Belarus’ relations with the European Union and France.
Russia launched hypersonic missile to Ukraine
Sunday’s heavy bombardment also involved Russia’s powerful forces. hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missileCapable of carrying multiple warheads. Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted It can travel up to 10 times the speed of sound and escape air defense systems.
Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian intelligence services received notices from the United States and European countries that Russia was preparing to launch Oreshnik.
Zelenskyy said on Monday that in addition to two deaths in Kiev, at least 87 people, including three children, were injured at the dam. Twenty-one people were hospitalized.
Ukrainian officials said the intense attack damaged buildings across the city, including government offices, residential buildings, schools and a marketplace. There was still broken glass on the sidewalks Monday.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya wrote on Telegram after witnessing the consequences of the attack in Kiev: “Each such attack shows once again the true nature of the Putin regime; a regime that does not recognize human life, international law or borders.”
In other developments on Monday:
Russia’s Federal Security Service said divers found magnetic mines attached to the hull of a liquefied petroleum gas tanker in Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga. While it was stated that the Arrhenius tanker was heading to Samsun, Türkiye, it was stated that the mines were produced in a NATO member country. Ukrainian officials have not yet made any comments.
Meanwhile, the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, Oleh Syniehubov, said that a Russian missile hit a business in the northeastern Ukraine’s Derhachi city on Monday, killing two people and wounding 19 others. Seventeen people were hospitalized.
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Associated Press writer John Leicester contributed to this report from Paris.
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You can follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
