Minsk accuses Kyiv of provocations aimed at prolonging the war

Oleg Gaidukevich, deputy chairman of the standing committee on international affairs of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, has called statements by Ukrainian officials about a threat from Belarus a provocation aimed at continuing the conflict. He expressed his view in a video published on his Telegram channel.

According to Gaidukevich, such statements have been made before. The deputy referenced remarks by former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who, he said, claimed to “know 100%” that a second front would be opened from Belarus. Gaidukevich also mentioned the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, who, he said, made similar statements and threatened Belarus.

“It is not the first time that false statements regarding Belarus have been made by Ukrainian officials. All these statements are not without reason,” the deputy said.

Gaidukevich stated that Minsk understands the purpose of such remarks. According to him, Belarus has no intention of opening any second front, and attempts to draw it into the military conflict would mean involving all of Europe. The deputy characterized this as a scenario that benefits Kyiv for prolonging the war.

“For Kyiv, this is a scenario for how to prolong the war. Because no one wants to end it. It means money, it means power, and no one wants to lose all of that. That is why there are such false statements. We understand all of this. But it is a lie. Belarus has completely different goals. We have always fought for peace,” Gaidukevich said.

The deputy also stressed that, in his view, Ukraine has no path to peace other than building good relations with Belarus and Russia. He described all talk of a second front and an attack from Belarus as “nonsense, provocation, and lies,” the goal of which is to “prolong the war and the funding at any cost.”