Zelenskiy: Belarus is dependent on Russia, a threat to Europe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy emphasized that Belarus's dependence on Russia poses a serious threat to European security. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
He expressed these views on January 25 in Vilnius at an event dedicated to the memory of the January uprising of 1863–1864. Zelenskiy compared Belarus to "Russia's general-governorship," criticizing the situation in the country.
According to him, the rights of the Belarusian people are even lower than the personal interests of President Alexander Lukashenko. Zelenskiy recalled that there was an opportunity for change in Belarus in 2020, but at that time the people were not sufficiently supported.
He stressed that such opportunities might arise again in the future, but Europe and the international community need to be more active for that to happen. The president stated that Belarus's active cooperation with Russia and the use of its territory by the Russian army to conduct military operations pose a great danger to European security.
At the same time, he criticized Belarus's industry for serving Russia in its war against Ukraine. This not only increases the threat to Ukraine but to all of Europe.
Zelenskiy made a special appeal to the Belarusian people, urging them to strive for a free and peaceful life as part of the European community. He noted the necessity of supporting the Belarusian opposition and demanded that Europe take firm measures against Russian aggression.
According to him, security is important not only for today but also for the peace of future generations. Zelenskiy emphasized that Europe should not believe in an illusory "renewed cooperation" with Russia and acknowledged the mistakes made on this path.
The president's main conclusion is that the Belarus issue has become an important matter not only for the Belarusian people but also for European security. In his opinion, acting proactively is the best strategy rather than regretting later.
