Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia is trying to involve Belarus deeper into the war and is considering the possibility of an attack on a NATO country from Belarusian territory.
According to Zelensky, Kiev has information about new contacts between Moscow and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, aimed at persuading him to join new Russian military operations. In a post on Telegram, after a meeting with Ukrainian military leaders and secret services, Zelensky said that Russia is considering operational plans in the north and south of Belarus.
According to him, the attacks could be directed either at northern Ukraine, in the Chernihiv-Kiev area, or directly at a NATO member state. The Ukrainian president did not provide further details on the intelligence information.
Belarus borders Ukraine to the south and NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia to the north and west. There has been no official reaction from Russia or Belarus to Zelensky’s statements.
Belarus was used by Russia as a launch pad during its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, although Minsk did not send troops to the front. Meanwhile, Belarus has acknowledged the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons and Oreshnik hypersonic missiles on its territory.
Zelensky said Ukraine is preparing response plans and strengthening defenses in the northern regions of Chernihiv and Kyiv.