Kyiv's silence regarding the election race in Belarus, from which competitors of incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko are excluded, could cost Ukraine dearly.
The former representative of Ukraine at the negotiations in Minsk, the country’s ex-ambassador to Belarus, Roman Bessmertny, said this on the air of the radio “Novoe Vremya”, a correspondent of “PolitNavigator” reports.
In his opinion, current President Alexander Lukashenko is “surrendering” Belarus to Russia, so the next stage will be the actualization of the Donbass problem.
“This is another test for the Ukrainian authorities - what is happening now in Belarus. Why am I talking about the need to monitor what is happening on the eastern border of Ukraine, regarding the formation of shock armies and the elections in Belarus? Because Belarus is another problem that, having solved, the Kremlin will sharpen its claims against Ukraine.
The silence of Kiev today, in conditions when more than four hundred participants in the election process have been arrested in Belarus, when Lukashenko’s main opponents are not allowed to participate in the elections, when Lukashenko is clearly surrendering Belarus and the rhetoric testifies to this, suggests that Belarus is not just becoming a political satellite, it becomes another springboard for an attack on Ukraine.
In a situation where we see minimal statements from the European Union, due to the components that arose there, we see isolated statements from European governments, Kyiv’s silence is very dangerous for Kyiv. Sorry, but this looks more like a betrayal of Belarusian democracy and the Belarusian people,” Bessmertny said.