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Russia May Use Belarus for New Offensive Against Ukraine or NATO State, Zelenskyy Says
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Russia is attempting to draw Belarus into its war, potentially targeting either northern Ukraine or a NATO member state.
This was reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following a high-level meeting with Ukraine’s military and intelligence leadership on May 15.
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According to Zelenskyy, Russian officials recently held additional talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko aimed at persuading Minsk to participate more directly in future Russian operations.
Speaking after consultations with representatives of Ukraine’s General Staff, Defense Intelligence Directorate, Foreign Intelligence Service, and Security Service of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said Kyiv had obtained details of the discussions between Moscow and Minsk.
The Ukrainian president stated that Russia is considering operational plans involving Belarusian territory both to the south and north of the country. According to him, the scenarios under consideration include potential actions against the Chernihiv-Kyiv direction in northern Ukraine or against one of NATO’s member states.
Zelenskyy said he had instructed Ukraine’s Defense Forces to strengthen the relevant sectors and prepare a response plan.
“Ukraine will undoubtedly defend itself and its people if Aleksandr Lukashenko makes the wrong call and decides to support this Russian intention as well,” Zelenskyy said.
The warning comes amid growing concern among NATO and EU officials over Russia’s long-term military intentions toward the Alliance.
European Commissioner for Defende Andrius Kubilius stated that Russia could potentially launch an attack on a NATO member state within the next two to four years, with the Baltic states viewed as particularly vulnerable.
He noted that intelligence assessments from several European states—including Germany, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Baltic security services—suggest that Moscow may be preparing to test NATO’s Article 5 collective defense commitment within that timeframe.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced that the agreement to establish a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine represents a pivotal step for international justice.
According to Sybiha, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, along with senior officials from Russia and Belarus, have effectively received their “tickets to The Hague” as potential future defendants in war-related legal proceedings.
Speaking during a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Chișinău on May 15, Sybiha described the creation of the tribunal as a historic step toward accountability for Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrinform reported.
“We have crossed the point of no return today. The Special Tribunal is becoming a legal reality. Very few believed this moment would come, but it has,” Sybiha said.
He noted that political backing for the initiative had first been agreed upon in Lviv a year earlier, and that the rapid move toward an implementation agreement represented an unusually fast process for international criminal justice mechanisms.
Additionally, the Council of Europe’s Secretary-General has authorized moving from the signature collection phase to the implementation stage in creating a Nuremberg-style Special Tribunal intended to prosecute Russia’s leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
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