Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has congratulated the people of Ukraine on the 35th anniversary of Independence Day, reports infohub.kz.
In the congratulatory message, distributed by the Belarusian leader's press service, it is noted that the historical destinies of the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples are closely intertwined. Our nations are bound by centuries-old traditions, the memory of shared victories, and severe trials.
Lukashenko expressed confidence that, despite geopolitical upheavals, future generations of Belarusians and Ukrainians will preserve the eternal friendly and kinship ties, and that Minsk and Kyiv will restore mutually beneficial cooperation based on the principles of trust, respect, and equality. He also stressed that hospitable Belarus is always open to every Ukrainian who comes with good intentions.
It is worth recalling that in late July, media reported that the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had requested that criminal proceedings be initiated against Lukashenko. Earlier, Zelensky stated that Russia was negotiating with Alexander Lukashenko and wanted to drag Belarus into the war. According to him, Russia and Belarus were allegedly preparing attacks on Ukraine from Belarusian territory or against one of the NATO countries. In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that it was Kyiv that was trying to directly drag Belarus into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.