Belarusian opposition leader pushes to include Belarus in Ukraine peace deal
Photo: Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Getty Images)
Belarus must be mentioned in the peace agreement to end Russia's war against Ukraine. Without resolving the Belarusian issue, the security of Ukraine and the Western world will remain under threat, says Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Read also Tsikhanouskaya says there is no evidence of nuclear weapons in Belarus
Belarus in peace agreements
Tsikhanouskaya demands that Belarus be included in any agreements to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
The opposition leader says that when they consulted with their foreign partners—without whom the situation in Belarus would be very difficult to remedy—they emphasized that Belarus was part of a bigger picture and that if one talked about Ukraine and Ukraine’s victory, Belarus had to be included in that victory.
She stresses that attempts to resolve the Ukrainian issue separately from the Belarusian one will not work.
Tsikhanouskaya emphasizes that if one thought the Ukrainian issue could be resolved now and then, if it did not work out, simply go back to Belarus, it would not work
Lukashenko and Belarus' role in Russia's war against Ukraine
She notes that the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has already partially transferred the country under Russia's control, and it will be extremely difficult to change this.
She adds that both Ukraine and Belarus must resolve this issue together, because, returning once again to my thesis, without a democratic Belarus, there will be no security for Ukraine or for our Western partners.
The opposition leader stresses that Russia will continue to influence Belarus regardless of who is formally in power.
Tsikhanouskaya says Russia will always rule there, whether it's Lukashenko or someone else he chooses as his successor, they will serve Russia, not Belarusian interests. And they will always be immersed in an internal political crisis, and their neighbors will be under constant pressure.
Peace agreement
In December 2025, a delegation led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with the US on a 20-point plan to end the war.
On December 28, Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump agreed on 90% of the plan and 100% of the security guarantees.
Russia also reviewed the documents but did not give its explicit consent.
On January 23-24 and February 4-5, trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia on ending the war took place in Abu Dhabi. Zelenskyy emphasized that the key issue is the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
He also stated that the next meeting of the delegations would take place soon.
According to Reuters, the agreement could be finalized as early as March, and any agreements will be put to a referendum along with the national elections.
