Cichanoŭskaja meets with Zelensky, warns against excluding stakeholders from Ukraine peace talks

November 12, Pozirk. Belarusian pro-democracy leader Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja had a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on its sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Dublin, Ireland, on November 12.

Cichanoŭskaja stressed that the peace deal with Ukraine should be concluded on Kyiv’s terms, and that the country should be given strong security guarantees ruling out future Russian aggression.

According to Cichanoŭskaja, they discussed the Łukašenka regime’s role in the war against Ukraine and the need to prevent the deployment of the Belarusian army on Russia’s side. She stressed that international pressure on Łukašenka, including sanctions, should remain in place.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the summit, she pointed out that a Yalta-style scenario, in which the fates of countries and nations are decided behind their backs, should not be allowed, referring to the 1945 Yalta Conference, at which the Allied leaders negotiated Europe’s postwar order, and potential Ukraine peace talks.

Cichanoŭskaja stressed that Europe should be involved in the negotiations however convenient it would be for Russian President Vladimir Putin to leave it out. Describing Europe’s stance on Ukraine as “firm and principled,” she said that Russia does not need “another voice in support of Kyiv,” but “it is not for Putin to decide who will be at the negotiating table.”

Cichanoŭskaja called for continued support for Ukraine, praising the courage of its people, and thanked Zelensky for keeping Belarus on the agenda. Zelensky is the one who said that Europe’s eastern border should coincide with Belarus’ eastern border, she said.

She said that relations between Belarusian pro-democracy forces and Ukraine had improved significantly. She recalled her visit to Kyiv this past May and noted “regular consultations” with Zelensky’s administration and the foreign minister.

Cichanoŭskaja said that Belarusians were doing their best to help Ukrainians despite their limited resources.

According to Cichanoŭskaja, her message to the summit’s participants is that Belarus should be included in regional peace negotiations, because “without a free and democratic Belarus there will be no security for Ukraine or European countries,” and that Russia should withdraw its troops from Belarus as well as from Ukraine.

Cichanoŭskaja said that she would also tell the summit about Belarusian political prisoners. While thanking the United States for its diplomatic efforts to secure their release, she stressed that Alaksandar Łukašenka continues to persecute his opponents and holds more than 900 political prisoners.

Cichanoŭskaja praised the EU for its “strong and principled policy” toward the regime, saying that it continues to exert economic and political pressure while supporting Belarus and its people in their struggle for democracy. She also urged European leaders to maintain unity and resist Russian propaganda.

“Belarus is part of the European family, just like Ukraine, and the European project will not be complete until our countries become part of the European Union,” she said.

The Yalta Conference took place in February 1945, when US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin met in Crimea to discuss the postwar order in Europe. Their agreements shaped the division of Europe into spheres of influence, leaving much of Eastern Europe under Soviet domination without allowing its peoples to determine their own futures.

The ninth European Political Community summit is started in Dublin on November 12, co-chaired by Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and European Council President António Costa. A total of 48 heads of state and government have been invited, representing the 27 EU member states and 21 other countries, including the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Turkey, Moldova, Switzerland, Norway and Canada, which is attending as a guest.

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