Lead
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued an ultimatum to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, demanding the removal of Russian military equipment from Belarusian territory within a week and threatening Ukrainian action if it is not done. The warning, delivered at a news conference in Kyiv, has drawn a sharp response from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), whose secretary general dismissed the threats as a "bluff."
Coverage Comparison
Zelensky's remarks were reported by the South China Morning Post, which quoted him as saying that signal relay stations in two Belarusian regions bordering Ukraine are used by Russian forces to help steer attacks on Ukrainian civilians. "What's the point of saying he [Lukashenko] doesn't want to be in the war? Let him remove this equipment, let him switch it off. I think a week will be enough for him to do that," Zelensky said. He added, "If he doesn't do it, we'll do it," without elaborating on the intended action.
The South China Morning Post noted that Russian forces used Belarusian territory to launch attacks when they first invaded Ukraine in February 2022. It also reported that last month Lukashenko dismissed any notion that Minsk would be dragged further into the war but said that, together with Russia, it would defend itself in the event of aggression.
TASS, Russia's state news agency, reported the CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev's response, made on the sidelines of the 12th Primakov Readings international forum. Lebedev called Zelensky's threats "just a bluff" and said they should not be taken seriously. "This is yet another stunt by the Ukrainian leader. He talks a lot about this, and not just in relation to Belarus, unfortunately. To be honest, his inappropriate behavior toward Poland right now is really astonishing," he said. Lebedev also said that Russia and Belarus have already slammed such rhetoric as inadmissible and warned that measures will be taken to reinforce Belarus's border.
A second TASS report, dated June 19, described Zelensky's threats in more detail, quoting him as saying that "repeaters on towers" are located on Belarusian territory along the border with Ukraine and that he was ready to order an attack on the equipment if it is not removed within a week. That report also cited Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko as stating the day before that the situation on the border with Ukraine is "burning like never before" and that he had ordered reinforced protection of the region.
Key Claims
- Zelensky threatened to attack Belarusian equipment deployed along the border if it is not removed within a week, as reported by both the South China Morning Post and TASS.
- Signal relay stations are located in two Belarusian regions bordering Ukraine and are used by Russian forces to help steer attacks on Ukrainian civilians, a claim reported by the South China Morning Post.
- Russian forces used Belarusian territory to launch attacks on Ukraine in February 2022, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
- Lukashenko dismissed notions that Minsk would be dragged further into the war but said Belarus would defend itself with Russia in the event of aggression, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
- Lebedev called Zelensky's threats a "bluff" and said Russia and Belarus plan to reinforce Belarus's border, as reported by TASS.
- Lukashenko ordered reinforced protection of the region, describing the situation on the border with Ukraine as "burning like never before," as reported by TASS.