FM Sybiha announced Tykhanovska visit to Ukraine
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced that Sviatlana Tykhanovska, the leader of Belarus’s democratic forces, will soon arrive in Ukraine.
Sybiha made this statement during an online briefing on Friday, May 22, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy noted that there have been no official contacts with the Belarusian side since the start of joint Russian-Belarusian nuclear exercises.
“We recently saw a strange statement from Lukashenko—that he is ready to meet and come to Kyiv. The Ukrainian side has someone to meet with—we are expecting [Sviatlana] Tykhanovska to visit Ukraine in the near future. Therefore, we have someone to talk to about the full range of issues,” Sybiha said.
Regarding the potential consequences for Belarus in the event of any aggressive actions against Ukraine, the foreign minister noted that Ukraine will always “act proportionately and respond in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter on the right to self-defense.”
As reported, Belarus’s self-proclaimed president, Alexander Lukashenko, publicly stated that he is ready to visit Ukraine, and that such a step could serve as a “gesture of goodwill” and help in finding ways to reduce tensions.
The European Union stated that it remains “vigilant” regarding any threats related to joint exercises between Russia and Belarus, and at the same time called for restraint from nuclear threats.
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