Kyiv, Ukraine – The Ukrainian presidential office announced that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an official decree imposing a package of economic sanctions and personal restrictions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
This decision was based on a decision by the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council issued on the same date.
Details of the presidential decree
According to a document published on the Ukrainian presidential website, the restrictive measures
include the application of special economic and personal sanctions against the Belarusian president.
These measures include a permanent ban on Alexander Lukashenko entering Ukrainian territory,
the freezing of any assets he may have, and a prohibition on any commercial or financial transactions involving him.
This decision follows reports published by the newspaper European Pravda in late January.
The reports indicated Kyiv’s intention to open a criminal case against Lukashenko.
According to the reports, this proposal was discussed during a meeting
between Zelensky and Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius.
Moreover, the meeting reflected Ukraine’s move to escalate legal and political pressure on the Minsk regime.
Minsk responded: We do not attach importance to Kyiv’s reports
In the first official reaction, Belarusian President Lukashenko’s press secretary, Natalia Esmont, downplayed the significance of these steps.
She asserted that Minsk does not attach much importance to what is being said by the Ukrainian media or authorities in this regard.
For his part, Lukashenko reiterated his previous stance, emphasizing that Belarus is always ready to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
He also stated that Moscow and Minsk are the only parties that will provide genuine assistance to Kyiv after the conflict ends. He believes that the West will abandon it.
Field context
His relationship with Zelensky has undergone a dramatic transformation. He once described Zelensky as being like a “son” to him. However, now he views him as an “illegitimate figure” due to his political actions.
Kyiv considers Belarus a direct partner in the Russian war effort. This is particularly true following reports of Belarusian territory being used as a launchpad
for drone control systems and medium-range missile infrastructure. Ukraine views this as an existential threat to its northern border.
