Ukraine’s limited dialogue with Belarusian democratic forces
The onset of dialogue between the Ukrainian authorities and the Belarusian democratic forces began in autumn 2022. However, it did not continue so strongly in 2023. This can be partly explained by the difficult situation on the battlefield in the Russian war against Ukraine, which is naturally the priority for the authorities in Kyiv. At the same time, Ukraine has maintained its diplomatic relations with the authorities in Minsk.
In February of 2022, Russian tanks used Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine through the north to try and install a puppet government in Kyiv. After Alyaksandr Lukashenka recognized Crimea as Russian at the end of autumn 2021, the question of warming relations between Kyiv and the Belarusian dictator was finally eliminated. Nevertheless, diplomatic relations remained between Ukraine and Belarus. They were not torn apart even after the outbreak of the full-scale Russian aggression with the participation of Belarus, so a certain official level of dialogue was still ongoing.
February 7, 2024 -
Oleksandr Shevchenko
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Leader of democratic Belarus and the United Transnational Cabinet, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has sought to build dialogue with Kyiv since February 2022. Yet, the Ukrainian leadership has been reluctant. Photo: DarSzach /Shutterstock
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belarus, Belarusian-Ukrainian relations, civil society, Ukraine
