Ukraine calls on Belarus to withdraw troops from the border and avoid ‘tragic mistakes’

ADVERTISING

Belarusian forces are concentrating significant personnel and weapons along Ukraine's northern border with Belarus, prompting Kyiv to issue an official warning.

On Sunday, Ukraine called on Minsk to withdraw troops from the border further away than the firing range of the Belarusian systems.

In its statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said: “We warn that in the event of a violation of the state border of Ukraine by Belarus, our state will take all necessary measures to exercise the right to self-defense guaranteed by the UN Charter.”

“Consequently, all troop concentrations, military facilities and supply routes in Belarus become legitimate targets for the armed forces of Ukraine,” it said.

Kyiv also noted that some former PMC Wagner soldiers were sighted in the area.

Ukraine and Belarus have a 1,084-kilometer-long border.

According to a statement from Ukraine, the military exercises in the border area pose a threat to “global security” due to the proximity to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant – the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster.

Belarus had allowed Russian troops to use its territory as a launching pad for their large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.