Ukraine calls for dialogue, not violence in Belarus

The foreign ministers of the Lublin Triangle countries
published a statement on Aug. 10 expressing their deep concern with the events
in Belarus after the elections and calling for the government to refrain from
applying force and to release all those arrested. They are ready to offer any
help in supporting mutually beneficial dialogue and cooperation, it said.
“Respect for fundamental freedoms and individual rights, including democracy
and the rule of law, are necessary for the further development of an
independent and sovereign Belarus, which we fully support,” the statement said.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Zelensky
issued a statement calling for refraining from violence in favor of dialogue in
determining their vector for further development, which is not simple. “Doubts
at this scale is a direct road to violence, to conflict and to social protest,
which is growing. Which is what we are observing currently, to great regret.
Undoubtedly, we are calling upon our neighbors to maximal tolerance, patience
and restraint from street violence. We are calling for maximally open dialogue,
even if it’s difficult,” the statement said.

President Aleksandr Lukashenko earned 80.1% of the
vote in the Aug. 9 elections, compared to 10.1% for Svetlana Tykhanovska,
according to the preliminary results announced on the afternoon on the next
day.

Tykhanovska said she won the elections and the results
were falsified, before fleeing to Lithuania. Her husband, Sergei, intended to
compete in the elections before he was arrested.

Belarusian police have disbanded protesters with force
– including rubber bullets and flash grenades – in recent days, resulting in an
estimated 1,000 arrests in Minsk and 2,000 arrests outside the city. The police
estimated 50 injured protestors, as well as 39 injured police. One protester
died and two were seriously injured when a police paddy wagon ran into a crowd
on Aug. 9, according to Viasna legal defense center.

Zenon Zawada: The
political crisis in Belarus offers Ukraine a rare chance to impress its
European partners and take a leadership role in resolving this regional
conflict. The enterprising Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, is
stepping into that role in having helped organize the Lublin
Triangle recently, which is already offering to the
play the role of a mediator. Yet Lithuania has already come out in front, with
its president calling upon the E.U. to impose sanctions. Moreover, Ukraine’s
pro-Russian minority in parliament has already begun to congratulate
Lukashenko, even within the president’s own parliamentary faction (Yevgeny
Shevchenko).

At minimum, we expect the Zelensky administration to
adhere fully to the E.U. position. But we don’t expect any forceful or
categorical rhetoric, since it has adopted a foreign policy of playing the West
and Russia off each other (rather similar to what Lukashenko has done), while
extracting needed resources and concessions from both sides.