Lukashenko holds talks in Minsk with Kherson occupation leader Saldo: Reaction from Ukraine MFA
Self-proclaimed president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko (photo: Getty Images)
Self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, on September 15, met in Minsk with the gauleiter of the occupied part of the Kherson region, Volodymyr Saldo. This is another display of blatant disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported.
"Shameful is not only the fact of the meeting, but also Alexander Lukashenko's statements about the occupied part of Kherson region as supposedly a 'new region' of Russia, his readiness to facilitate the strengthening of the occupation regime and to develop trade with the occupiers," the ministry noted.
The MFA recalled that under the norms of international law, any dealings with occupation regimes are null and void and will have exclusively negative consequences for Belarus as a state.
The ministry emphasized that Ukraine reserves the right to an adequate response to strengthen sanctions regimes and deepen the international isolation of the Belarusian regime for its unlawful actions, contrary to numerous UN General Assembly resolutions, particularly the resolution of October 12, 2022, on the Territorial Integrity of Ukraine. Defending the principles of the UN Charter, supported by 143 UN member states.
"Particularly astonishing are Alexander Lukashenko's delusions that he is a 'Soviet person' for whom Ukraine and the Kherson region are 'also his land.' We remind that the USSR has been on the ash heap of history for more than three decades. Sooner or later, the two nostalgic, unrecognized figures who met today in Minsk will also end up there. Meanwhile, Ukraine was, is, and will remain whole within its internationally recognized borders," the MFA stressed.
What is known about Saldo
Former mayor of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, is a collaborator. He began cooperating after Russian forces took control of the Kherson region in 2022. They appointed him governor of the area.
In 2023, a court sentenced Saldo in absentia to 15 years in prison. He was accused of state treason.
That same year, the collaborator's assets and those of his relatives were confiscated and transferred to the state.
In September 2024, the prosecutor's office sent to court an indictment against the so-called governor of the occupied part of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo. He is accused of stealing nearly 3,000 tons of Ukrainian grain.
