Lukashenko apologises to Zelenskyy for harsh remarks, rules out Belarus joining Ukraine war

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has apologised to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his recent harsh comments, while reiterating that Belarus has not entered the war against Ukraine and has no plans to attack Kyiv. In an interview with Al Arabiya English, Lukashenko stated that the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East "have no military solution." He stressed that involving Belarus in the conflict would make the country "very vulnerable militarily," warning that key infrastructure and logistics sites could be targeted. Lukashenko claimed that Russia warned Minsk against joining the war, saying it would bring "more harm than good." The apology came after remarks in late May when Lukashenko suggested Zelenskyy was under the influence of drugs, a comment made in response to Zelenskyy's threat to strike Belarusian targets if Belarus joined the war. "Maybe I overdid it, but it was a response to his absurd statements," Lukashenko said. "If Vladimir Alexandrovich is offended, I apologise to him for those words. Maybe I shouldn't have, considering that he is fighting. Maybe I didn't have to speak so harshly." A representative of Zelenskyy confirmed to the BBC that the Ukrainian president has heard the apology. Meanwhile, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said the shift from calls for Ukraine to surrender to an apology "is an indicator of Ukraine's strength," but added that "stage-managed apologies" do not change the fact that official Minsk is complicit in Russian aggression against Ukraine.