Tsikhanouskaya says Belarus must be included in Russia-Ukraine peace talks
on Google
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said that Belarus’s political and military situation must be included in any Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations. She made the remarks on Nov. 12 at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Dublin, Ireland.
The EPC brings together leaders from across the European continent, including countries outside the European Union, with Russia and Belarus under Alexander Lukashenko excluded from the forum.
Tsikhanouskaya represents Belarus as the "leader of the democratic forces." She is widely believed to have won the disputed 2020 presidential election.
"Without a free and democratic Belarus, there will be no security, neither for Ukraine nor for European countries," Tsikhanouskaya said ahead of the summit's opening.
"I really think that Belarus should be an issue in negotiations about peace in the region," Tsikhanouskaya said, before adding that "we have to demand withdrawal of Russian troops not only from Ukraine, but also from Belarus."
Belarus under Lukashenko is considered by the West to be operating as a co-belligerent in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Moscow has a heavy military presence in the country, used Belarus to launch the initial full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and has used Belarusian territory to launch various attacks in the years since then.
Western governments have also tended to treat Russia and Belarus similarly, both in restricting their participation in international forums and in imposing sanctions on the two countries.
Tsikhanouskaya sought to highlight the contributions of ordinary Belarusians in support of Ukraine, for example, by their volunteering for the Ukrainian armed forces.
We have to "give all the opportunities to help Ukrainians win this war because the victory of Ukraine will shape not only their future, but the future of the whole of Europe," Tsikhanouskaya said.
