Zelenskyy-Tsikhanouskaya first meeting: Talks include justice for Belarus’ Lukashenko
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Photo: t.me/tsikhanouskaya)
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Vilnius. Among the topics discussed were mutual support, including the release of political prisoners, holding dictator Alexander Lukashenko accountable, and other issues, according to Tsikhanouskaya's Telegram.
Tsikhanouskaya's press service stated that during the meeting with Zelenskyy, she expressed on behalf of Belarusians full support for the Ukrainian people fighting for freedom and thanked the president for his powerful speech at the ceremony honoring the 1863 uprising rebels.
“She thanked the president for supporting a democratic Belarus and for Ukraine’s leadership standing with the Belarusian people rather than the regime,” the statement added.
Tsikhanouskaya also mentioned Belarusian volunteers, activists, and partisans who have been illegally sentenced for their solidarity and support of Ukraine, as well as Belarusians living in Ukraine. The Belarusian opposition leader also drew special attention to the fate of captured Belarusian volunteers.
The politician thanked Zelenskyy and his team, including Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov, for receiving the latest group of freed political prisoners.
“The sides discussed the release process, next steps, and Ukraine’s readiness to provide similar support in the future,” Tsikhanouskaya's press service added.
The statement also noted that the discussions touched on sanctions policy, a joint strategy with European and American partners, and holding Lukashenko and his regime’s accomplices accountable, including for the deportation of Ukrainian children.
“Tsikhanouskaya proposed appointing a special envoy for Belarus, as many other democratic countries have done, as well as closer cooperation with the Mission of Democratic Forces in Kyiv. The visit of Tsikhanouskaya to Ukraine was also discussed: President Zelenskyy invited her to Kyiv,” the opposition leader’s Telegram post added.
Finally, Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that the fates of a free Belarus and Ukraine are interconnected, and that she and her team would welcome even closer cooperation with Ukraine.
The day before, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived in Lithuania to participate in official events marking the anniversary of the January Uprising.
The January Uprising was a national liberation revolt in 1863–1864 against the Russian Empire, which affected the territories of modern-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and parts of Ukraine.
