Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to remove military equipment used to guide Russian strikes on Ukraine within a week, or Ukraine will take action, according to a single source. The ultimatum tightens an earlier one-day deadline Zelensky set earlier Friday, as reported by The Zioneer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a new ultimatum to Belarus on Friday evening, giving Alexander Lukashenko one week to remove military equipment from Belarusian territory that is reportedly used to coordinate and guide Russian strikes on Ukraine. Kyiv warned that failure to comply would result in Ukrainian action.
This marks a shift from an earlier, more stringent one-day ultimatum Zelensky set earlier on Friday, as The Zioneer reported at 20:49 Jerusalem. The escalating pressure on Minsk follows a string of warnings this week: on Friday afternoon, a Ukrainian official reportedly threatened to strike Belarusian oil facilities if fuel supply to Russia continued. A strategic analyst assessed Friday that Lukashenko is more likely to turn to former U.S. President Donald Trump than to Russian President Vladimir Putin for support, citing Russia's diminished capacity.
It remains unclear what specific military equipment Zelensky refers to, and whether Belarus has responded to the ultimatum. The warning is the latest in a series of direct threats from Kyiv aimed at preventing Belarusian complicity in Russia's war effort.
2 developments
- StrongZelensky says Belarus must stop supporting Russia, not just declare neutrality
- DevelopingZelensky warns Russia preparing large-scale attack within 48 hours, new mobilization
- StrongZelensky warns of imminent large-scale Russian attack, for second night running
- DevelopingZelensky says no war with Belarus 'for now', hails relay station shutdown
Source and signal
- Open-source intake