Leader of Belarus’s democratic forces Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will soon visit Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced the upcoming visit on Friday. On the same day, Ukrinform spoke with Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, who took part in the international security forum GLOBSEC Forum in Prague.
OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON UKRAINE’S VICTORY AS WELL
Ukrinform: During the full-scale war, visits are usually not announced in advance... Can we disclose the date of the visit?
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: We can say that it will happen soon. It will be a very important visit for us, and we are now actively preparing for it.
UI: What are you bringing with you to Kyiv?
ST: First of all, I am very grateful to Ukraine because relations with the Belarusian democratic forces are changing. This is very encouraging for the Belarusian democratic movement and for Belarusian society. I am convinced that it is very important for our nations — first and foremost on a human level — to preserve good-neighborly relations. Because, of course, after the beginning of the full-scale invasion, when Lukashenko practically handed our country over to Russia, we Belarusians had to rebuild Ukrainians’ trust in our nation from scratch.
I am very grateful for the invitation to visit Kyiv. I am confident that in the future I will be able to visit your country and other cities more often as well. I would very much like to go to Lviv, Odesa, and of course Kharkiv too.
We hope to better understand how we — both as individuals and as a nation living in extremely difficult circumstances and dependent on many external circumstances — can help Ukraine. There is a clear goal and a genuine desire among Belarusians to contribute to Ukraine’s victory. We understand that our own future is inseparable from Ukraine’s victory as well.
At the same time, we hope to resolve some of the problems faced by Belarusian citizens living in Ukraine who want to support Ukraine and contribute to its victory.
When I speak with them, they say: “We are living through this war too while residing in Ukraine. This is our second home, yet we continue to face numerous problems.” It is very painful to hear. I am certain Ukrainians do not want Belarusian friends living in Ukraine to face such difficulties, but these issues require political solutions.
UI: In Ukraine, the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment is bravely fighting for freedom...
ST: I am convinced that many more Belarusian volunteers could join the Ukrainian military — along with people willing to come to Ukraine to help rebuild the country and assist as volunteers — if certain legal issues were resolved. Politically, these would be extremely important steps.
I am grateful to President Volodymyr Zelensky for how much he has recently spoken about Belarus, about the interconnectedness of our countries, and about the threat posed by the Lukashenko regime. We know that we share one enemy, and we must fight together. The path toward Europe and the European Union, which Ukraine is now forging, will also create an opportunity for Belarus to follow the same course.
I am convinced that Ukraine is a leader in our region, and its influence will only continue to grow. No one had previously dared to put Russia in its place or openly challenge it — but Ukraine did. Naturally, people across the region look at Ukraine with open hearts. Ukraine is becoming a vital moral and political reference point for Belarusians.
This visit is only the first step, and I hope we will succeed in strengthening both political and civic cooperation.
OUR GOAL IS TO PREVENT BELARUS FROM BEING FULLY DRAWN INTO THE WAR
UI: Ukrainian intelligence has warned about the possibility — if not of a new offensive launched from Belarusian territory, then at least of strikes on border areas or various acts of sabotage aimed at tying down Ukrainian forces. If there is indeed another offensive from Belarusian territory, as people are once again discussing now, could this accelerate the end of the Lukashenko regime?
ST: Anything is possible. We understand that Lukashenko could at any moment once again hand over our territory and infrastructure, helping Putin open this second front. He serves Russia, not the Belarusian people. And our goal is to prevent Belarus from being fully drawn into the war.
At the same time, Ukraine is now much stronger and better prepared, and if the dictators choose escalation, the response may be equally decisive.
We must distinguish between Lukashenko, with his ambitions to serve Putin, and the Belarusian people themselves.
It is difficult for me to imagine Belarusians or the Belarusian army going to war against Ukraine. And if such an order were given, it could ultimately turn against the dictators themselves. I believe in Belarusians and understand that they do not see Ukrainians as enemies and will not support this Russian aggression.
Of course, Belarus is now living under terror and fear — the result of 30 years of dictatorship and five years of relentless, total, Stalinist-style repression. But that does not mean people have surrendered or accepted it.
Olha Tanasiichuk led this conversation, Prague
Photos via Author