Published on 6/22/2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko to take concrete steps to reduce the escalation in the region, saying that an apology alone is not enough.
Zelensky said – in an interview with Ukrainian media yesterday, Sunday – that Lukashenko must show a reduction in escalation “that goes beyond mere words,” adding that a mere apology from Moscow’s close ally is not enough.
The Ukrainian president continued: “He can keep to himself the phrase: I apologize, because this has not worked since the first day of the war.”
Zelensky gave his Belarusian counterpart a week to dismantle 4 intermediate stations that Kiev says Moscow is using to launch drone attacks on Ukrainian territory.
He stressed that a week’s deadline gives Lukashenko enough time to remove support equipment from his country, threatening to take action if Minsk does not do so, as he said: “If he does not do so, we will take care of the matter,” without providing further details.
No military victory
Lukashenko had previously called on Moscow and Kiev to end the war, saying that achieving a military victory had become unrealistic for either side.
Lukashenko said that Ukraine has nothing to fear from Belarus, and apologized to Zelensky for sharp statements he made in the past.
For weeks, Zelensky has been saying that Russia is seeking to drag Belarus into war, warning Minsk not to allow that to happen.
Kiev says that it is currently threatened by the presence of Russian reinforcement stations on Belarusian territory, adding that Moscow is using these stations to direct drones in attacks on targets inside Ukraine.
Zelensky had repeatedly called on Lukashenko to dismantle these facilities, saying: “If they do not close them, we will close them. End.”
Belarus – which borders Ukraine and the countries of the eastern wing of NATO – is a close ally of Russia, while relations between Minsk and Kiev have been tense since Moscow used Belarusian territory as a launching pad for its large-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022.
