Belarusian opposition figure Svitlana Tikhanovskaya, during her first visit to Kyiv, stated that Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression is an example of determination and a source of inspiration for Belarusians.
Svitlana Tikhanovskaya announced this during a press conference, a journalist from Suspilny reports.
“Despite Russian terror, Ukraine is holding the front, demonstrating determination, inspiring the whole world and, of course, first of all, Belarusians. Ukraine's victory is also the path to freedom for Belarus,” said Svitlana Tikhanovskaya.
She said she had come to Ukraine to emphasize that the Belarusian people support the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Tikhanovskaya also acknowledged that the unrecognized President of Belarus, Lukashenko, has made the country an accomplice in Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
“Lukashenko is a usurper who lost the election. He does not represent Belarusians and serves exclusively the interests of the Kremlin and imperial Russia. But Belarus is not Russia. And Belarusians are not inconvenient regimes. Belarusians have stood shoulder to shoulder with you, dying in the trenches since 2014. Thousands of Belarusians have spoken out against the war, and hundreds remain arrested for supporting Ukraine,” Svitlana Tikhanovskaya emphasized.
Tikhanovskaya said that during the visit she discussed with the Ukrainian side further cooperation between Ukraine and the democratic forces of Belarus. She emphasized that only a free and democratic Belarus can become a factor of stability and security in the region.
“It is very important for us that Ukraine sees a free Belarus as a future partner and neighbor, not a threat. Only a free, democratic Belarus will become a factor of stability and security in the region, and not an instrument of the Kremlin's aggressive policy. We need more mutual dialogue, more contacts between people, experts, civil society, and democratic institutions. Putin and Lukashenko have done everything to destroy friendly relations between our peoples, but our task is to definitely establish them,” Tikhanovskaya said.
She also reported that Yaroslav Chornohor, a Ukrainian scholar and lecturer at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, was appointed to the position of Ambassador at Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Belarus.