Zelenskiy says Belarus should remove equipment used in attacks on Ukraine in one week
June 19 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that a week should be enough for Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to remove from his country equipment used in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, threatening that Ukraine would take action if Lukashenko did not do so.
Zelenskiy said the signal relay stations were located in two Belarusian regions along the border with Ukraine, and that they were used by Russian forces to help guide them during attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Reuters could not independently verify his claims.
At a press conference in Kiev, Zelenskiy said, “What is the point of saying that Lukashenko does not want to be in the war? Let him take out this equipment, turn it off. I think a week will be enough for him to do this.”
“If he doesn’t do it, we will,” he said, without elaborating.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly warned in recent months that Russia plans to draw Minsk deeper into its war in Ukraine. Russian forces used Belarusian territory to launch attacks when they first invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Last month, Lukashenko rejected any notion that Minsk would be dragged further into the war but said he would defend itself alongside Russia in the event of an attack.
Ukraine has nothing to fear from Belarus and both sides must compromise to end the war, he said in an interview with Al Arabiya television this week.
Russia this week accused Ukraine of carrying out a deadly drone attack on a bus carrying Belarusian children via Russia. Kyiv has denied responsibility. While the woman accompanying the children died in the incident, 8 people, including 6 children, were injured. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it had requested a “full explanation” from Ukraine.
Minsk remained Moscow’s staunchest supporter during the war. Russian drones passed over Belarus while attacking Ukraine and Minsk said it had deployed the Russian Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile system. The two countries also held nuclear exercises in May.
(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
