Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a week should be enough for the Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, to remove equipment from Belarus used by Russia in its attacks on Ukraine. “If he doesn’t do it, we’ll do it,” said the Ukrainian president, without elaborating. Zelenskyy said signal relay stations were located in two Belarusian regions bordering Ukraine that were used by Russian forces to help with attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
Ukraine has been beefing up its defences along its northern border after signs that Vladimir Putin may be trying to make greater use of Belarus in the conflict. Recent exchanges of threatening language between Kyiv and Minsk culminated in Lukashenko apologising to Zelenskyy for past remarks and saying Belarus wanted no part in the war. Zelenskyy said on Friday: “What’s the point of saying he [Lukashenko] doesn’t want to be in the war? Let him remove this equipment, let him switch it off. I think a week will be enough for him to do that.”
Zelenskyy also alluded to Belarus’s oil refining industry, saying it had become a major supplier for Moscow and that Lukashenko could put a stop to it. “Today he is the main supplier, or one of the main suppliers, for the Russian army. Specifically, Lukashenko, specifically Belarus,” he said. “Can this be stopped? I’m sure it’s within his power. And he’s the one controlling it.” Ukraine has been intensifying its attacks on the Russian oil sector as part of efforts to put pressure on Russia’s war capability after more than four years of conflict.
