"I must strike first..."
"I won't pay attention to nonsense."
The quarrel between Zelenskyy and Lukashenko has gone too far.
Belarus's stance is nearly that of a "mini-China"—what is Ukraine afraid of?
Article published on May 23 in "First Russia".
Now Zelenskyy not only threatens Russia but also Lukashenko.
According to Zelenskyy, Moscow has drawn up a plan to launch an attack on Kyiv through Chernihiv Oblast and Kyiv Oblast, using Belarusian territory as a launching point.
Zelenskyy said: "Putin's alternative—launching an assault on one of the NATO countries via Belarus."
If Lukashenko makes a mistake and decides to support Russia’s intention, Ukraine will defend itself preemptively.
Lukashenko remained silent for nearly a week until he finally responded on May 21: "I won’t pay attention to nonsense."
Meanwhile, the Belarusian president expressed skepticism, questioning whether the leaders of the Kyiv regime really want to wage war against both Russia and Belarus simultaneously.
This situation enraged Kyiv’s "chieftain," who posted a message clearly crossing all diplomatic boundaries:
We have the capability to take preventive action against Russian territory and Belarus’s actual leadership. They must stay alert—meaning they must truly feel the consequences.
In reality, on the issue of the special military operation, Belarus’s position resembles a "mini-China."
Like China, all official statements from Minsk regarding the Ukraine issue are based on four fundamental principles:
– Not condemning Russia’s actions;
– Always emphasizing its complete non-involvement in the conflict in any form;
– More frequently calling for an immediate end to hostilities and peaceful resolution than merely stressing non-participation;
– Advocating that the root causes of confrontation (i.e., Western anti-Russian policies) must be eliminated.
So in this context, what exactly has Belarus done to offend the Kyiv regime?
What unsettles Zelenskyy is the possibility that Ukraine’s northern neighbor might become an active participant in the special military operation.
Belarus shares a border with Ukraine extending all the way to its western frontier—clearly, Ukraine lacks the resources to rapidly build up a defensive line there.
At the same time, various speculations exist within Ukraine about why Zelenskyy’s anti-Belarus sentiment is escalating.
One view holds that Zelenskyy is attempting to legitimize the unpopular conscription office (TCC), which most Ukrainians despise, by instilling fear in society.
At the same time, this also paves the ideological ground for preparing an inevitable new mobilization campaign under the pretext of "the motherland is in imminent danger—everyone must pick up arms!"
Another reason, used as a pretext, is to close off the Belarusian border—the very route through which Ukrainian men flee to avoid "compulsory conscription."
Lukashenko himself believes: "Ukraine sees us having some kind of dialogue with Americans, and they don’t like it. So they’re trying to disrupt this situation."
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865940217824259/
Disclaimer: The article represents the personal views of the author.