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Ukraine will not take tough steps on Belarus, foreign ministry’s spokesman says

Ukraine does not plan to take any tough steps in relations with Belarus amid mounting international pressure on Minsk over the crackdown on Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s opponents, Oleh Voloshin, a spokesman for the Ukrainian foreign ministry, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

Kyiv fears that any such steps could harm its close economic ties with Minsk, the official explained.

“We will not be making any tough steps as far as it concerns politics,” he was quoted as saying. “There are no anti-Belarusian sentiments in Ukraine either at the level of elites or the level of the public.”

At the same time, he added, Kyiv does not approve of the Belarusian government’s attitude toward the opposition. “We cannot ignore the fact that the Belarus election was not recognized by international organizations as meeting democratic standards. And the level of our presence at [Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s] inauguration speaks for itself,” Mr. Voloshin said.

Ukraine was represented by its charge d’affaires in Belarus at the January 21 ceremony.