President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and Belarus joining the European Union would be the right step “from the point of view of economy, geopolitics and independence.” At the same time, he noted that it is currently unknown whether the Belarusian people themselves support such a path.
He said this in an interview with the Belarusian independent media outlet “Dzerkalo”, a fragment of which he published on Telegram.
According to him, anti-European propaganda has been spreading in Belarus for years, which “gives only one-sided signals.” In particular, it is claimed that after joining the EU, Belarusian business will allegedly face restrictions, and the population will face high prices and low salaries, which will make “people beggars.”
“If there is a free leadership that will give them freedom, that will respect the independence of Ukraine, we will certainly respect the independence of Belarus. The best that can be is peaceful relations when we respect each other's sovereignty and missiles do not fly from one country to another,” Zelensky said.
He also added that he “really wanted the war to end” and for positive changes to occur in relations with Belarus.
“After all, the Belarusian people did not start a war against Ukraine. I think this is the wisest choice or status in which Belarusians should remain,” the president added.