Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Kyiv on the morning of Monday, May 25, marking her first visit to Ukraine. Belarusian opposition outlet Dzerkalo reported that she traveled to Kyiv by special train. The visit was made at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Tsikhanouskaya was accompanied by a delegation that included advisers Franak Viacorka, Denys Kuchynskyi, and Anatoly Lebedko; Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet Pavlo Latushka; Chief of Staff Valeriy Matskevich; and Social Affairs Representative Olga Zazulynska. At Kyiv’s railway station, the delegation was met by Yaroslav Chornohor, Ambassador-at-Large at Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry. During the visit, Tsikhanouskaya is expected to meet Ukraine’s leadership and take part in the International Summit of Cities and Regions, an annual event under the Presidential Congress of Local and Regional Authorities focused on mobilizing international support for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Zelensky first invited her to visit Ukraine during their meeting in Vilnius in January. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also recently confirmed her upcoming arrival, saying Kyiv “has someone to talk to on all issues regarding Belarus.” Tsikhanouskaya said on X that she began her visit by paying tribute to Belarusian activist Maria Zaitseva, who died in Ukraine while fighting against Russia’s invasion.
Tsikhanouskaya Visits Kyiv for First Time at Zelensky Invite, Joins Ukraine Summit Talks
Tsikhanouskaya arrives in Kyiv for her first visit at Zelensky’s invitation to meet officials and attend a major regional summit.
TL;DRAI
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Kyiv on May 25 at Zelensky's invitation, joining the International Summit of Cities and Regions and meeting Ukraine's leadership for the first time. The visit signals Kyiv's active courtship of democratic Belarusian forces as Russia escalates pressure to pull Belarus directly into the war, with Ukrainian intelligence tracking military buildups and expanded Belarusian mobilization capacity near the border.
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