Ukraine to Host Belarus Opposition Leader Tsikhanouskaya as Kyiv Rejects Lukashenko Meeting Proposal

Ukraine is preparing to host Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in the coming days, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on May 22, amid renewed comments from Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko about a possible meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to hromadske, Sybiha announced the planned visit during an online briefing following a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting. The visit has not been officially scheduled publicly, though European Pravda reported it could take place next week.

Commenting on Lukashenko’s recent statement that he was ready to meet Zelenskyy “at any location” in Ukraine or Belarus, Sybiha dismissed the proposal and said Kyiv sees Belarus’ democratic opposition as its legitimate counterpart for discussions related to Belarus.

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“Recently we saw a strange statement from Lukashenko saying he is ready to meet and travel to Kyiv. The Ukrainian side has someone to meet with,” Sybiha said, according to hromadske.

“Soon we are expecting Tsikhanouskaya in Ukraine, so we have someone to talk to on all issues regarding Belarus,” he added, according to hromadske.

Sybiha also reiterated Ukraine’s position toward Belarus under Lukashenko, stating that Kyiv continues to view him as complicit in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Sybiha said Ukraine and a future democratic Belarus share broader political goals.

“We have to help Belarus become a European colleague, because Belarus is also Europe,” the minister said.

Tsikhanouskaya has remained one of the most visible figures of the Belarusian opposition since the disputed 2020 Belarusian presidential election. She entered the race after her husband, blogger and opposition figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski, was detained by Belarusian authorities before the vote.

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Belarusian opposition groups and independent observers have disputed the official election results that declared Lukashenko the winner, pointing to polling station data where independent monitoring was permitted. Mass protests followed across Belarus after the election.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was reinforcing its northern border defenses and warned Belarus against deeper involvement in Russia’s war, stating Kyiv was prepared to respond to any new threats originating from Belarusian territory.

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