Ukraine receives unexpected signal from Belarus, Sybiha says

Ukraine continues to closely monitor developments in Belarus, though Kyiv currently sees no indications that Minsk will directly enter the war. Ukrainian intelligence services, however, remain on high alert, tracking all border-area shifts that could pose potential threats.

The statement was made by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha following a Crimean Tatar flag-raising ceremony at the ministry, as reported by a TSN correspondent.

According to him, Ukraine currently operates under the assumption that Belarus will refrain from direct military participation and will not allow Russia to drag it into the conflict. Nevertheless, Kyiv maintains that any hostile actions from Minsk will trigger a mirror response.

Sybiha also revealed that Ukraine recently received a diplomatic note from the Belarusian side via its embassy in Minsk. The document proposed establishing a specific access regime for border zones; however, the Belarusian side reportedly cited legal documents that have already expired.

The foreign minister said that the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine had already officially declined the proposal. In his view, it is important to understand why such an initiative was made now and why it specifically concerns border regions.

Furthermore, Sybiha stressed that Ukrainian intelligence agencies and other relevant services continue to closely monitor developments in Belarus.

"For our part, all relevant agencies, including our intelligence services, are closely monitoring developments within Belarusian territory in the context of threats to Ukraine. This includes legislative changes, structural shifts within military units and districts, fluctuations in the scale of military presence along the Ukrainian border, and any planned joint exercises with the Russians," the foreign minister said.

Sybiha highlights that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already issued official warnings to the Belarusian leadership. According to the minister, Minsk must understand that the president's warnings "are not empty words" and that Ukraine expects a corresponding reaction.

"I believe the Belarusian side clearly understands that such warnings are not empty. When they are voiced by the president of Ukraine, we absolutely expect a response. And this applies not only to the current spectrum of emerging threats. I am referring now to the relay transmitters," Sybiha said.