Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski has assured that Kiev never intended to attack Minsk, thus responding to statements by his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko announcing a non-aggression pact proposed by Ukraine.
«We had no intention to attack Belarus. This is the main signal that the whole Ukrainian people send to the Belarusian people», said Zelenski, who appealed to the neighboring country «not to lose its independence» and not to enter into an «absolutely shameful» war.
The Ukrainian president reacted in this way to the statements previously made by Lukashenko, who regretted that Ukraine «continues to train military and extremists» while «suggesting to sign a non-aggression pact», according to BelTA agency.
Thus, questioned about the veracity of Lukashenko’s statements, Zelenski assured that all proposals put forward by Ukraine are made known to the press, thus implying that his Belarusian counterpart’s statements are not really true.
Finally, Zelenski urged the Belarusian authorities to «respect their state» and prevent military personnel from third countries – alluding to Russia – from entering and advancing through their national territory, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.
Ukrainian authorities have recently warned of the possibility that Russia could launch a ground offensive through Belarus, although they have ruled out the involvement of the Belarusian army itself.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)