On Monday, May 25, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha welcomed the head of the United Transitional Cabinet of the Belarusian Democratic Opposition, the leader of the democratic forces of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, to Kyiv.

The parties held detailed talks on a wide range of issues on the agenda, including the security situation in the region, the future of Belarus, and the interaction between Ukraine and the democratic forces of Belarusian society.

Andrii Sybiha expressed gratitude to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya for her principled support and noted that Ukraine consistently distinguishes between the regime that dragged Belarus into Russian aggression and the Belarusian people.

“We are convinced that Belarusians deserve freedom, independence, and the right to independently determine the future of their state. About a thousand Belarusians are still in prison for their civic position, and many were forced to leave the country due to repression. We see your resistance and your position”, the Foreign Minister noted.

During the talks, Andrii Sybiha and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya separately focused on the issue of regional security, in particular the threat posed by the Lukashenko regime to Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states.

The Minister stressed that the Ukrainian side is interested in Belarus being an independent, sovereign state and not being used by Russia as a military springboard for aggression against its neighbors.

“Without a democratic and sovereign Belarus, it is impossible to build long-term security in Central Europe and the Baltics”, Andrii Sybiha added, emphasizing that the future of Belarus should be determined by its citizens, not the Kremlin.

According to the Head of the MFA, Ukraine agreed to continue dialogue and political consultations with the democratic forces of Belarus, as well as cooperation in the humanitarian, information, sanctions and expert spheres.

In this regard, Andrii Sybiha reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed an ambassador at large, Yaroslav Chornohor, who will be responsible for establishing effective cooperation with representatives of Belarusian democratic forces.

“We invite and look forward to the future accession of a democratic and free Belarus to the Lublin Triangle. This will be a natural union of free European peoples: Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Belarus”, the Minister for Foreign Affairs stated.

Andrii Sybiha noted the important contribution of Belarusian volunteers, journalists, human rights defenders and activists to the joint struggle for freedom, emphasizing that more than 90 citizens of the Republic of Belarus gave their lives fighting side by side with Ukrainians against a common enemy – imperial Russia.

“Today, when Russia is trying to destroy the very idea of freedom in our region, it is important to maintain unity between all democratic forces in Europe. Ukrainians and Belarusians have a common interest – to live in free, independent and safe states”, he noted.

The parties discussed the issue of accountability separately and in detail.

“The Lukashenko regime bears joint responsibility for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The Special Tribunal in The Hague will also investigate Lukashenko’s involvement. Today we discussed our joint efforts to gather evidence”, the Minister noted.

The Foreign Minister emphasized that the talks also addressed holding the Belarusian regime accountable for crimes against Ukrainian children. In this context, he welcomed plans for the leader of Belarus’s democratic forces to participate in upcoming events organized by the Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children in Canada this year.

“Today I also received a new package of sanctions proposals from our Belarusian guests. I plan to raise this issue at the EU level”, Andrii Sibiha noted.

The Foreign Minister added that the parties also discussed joint efforts to counter Russification. 

“Ukraine demonstrates how important it is to counter Russification. We will develop cooperation in this area to preserve and promote the Belarusian language”, he emphasized.  

A special highlight of the visit was the presentation to the distinguished guests at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine of archival diplomatic documents from the era of the Ukrainian and Belarusian People’s Republics, kindly provided by the State Archival Service of Ukraine.

While presenting the exhibition to his Belarusian colleagues, Andrii Sybiha emphasized that these documents attest to the close diplomatic and interpersonal ties between Ukraine and Belarus, particularly the official interaction between our independent states prior to the emergence of the Soviet Union.

The MFA of Ukraine would like to thank Anatolii Khromov, Head of the State Archival Service, and Larysa Levchenko, Director of the Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government, for locating and preparing the materials for the presentation.