Ukrainian President: we do not want Russia to attack us through Belarus
President Petro Poroshenko during his visit to Belarus expressed the hope that a Russian invasion from the north will not threaten Ukraine.
“This is a border of friendship, and we do not want to allow any threat to Ukraine from the Belarusian territory. We are not expecting it, we know that it will not happen, and of course, we do not want Russia to use Belarus to get to our flank,” said Poroshenko in Gomel at a meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian community.
The President of Ukraine arrived in Gomel at the first Forum of the Regions of Ukraine and Belarus. During the visit, he met with President Alexander Lukashenko.
The press service for the head of state said that Poroshenko throughout negotiations called for cooperation between Ukraine and Belarus on the basis of friendship. “We are absolutely sure that our relationship is going to grow significantly. The economy of our countries shows that the growth is more than 23%,” noted the Ukrainian president. According to him, there is an increase in the supply of Ukrainian products to Belarus. “It is imperative to maintain these trends,” added Poroshenko.
In turn, Lukashenko’s press service stated that the issue of the border between Ukraine and Belarus was raised at the meeting. The President of Ukraine stated that the border should be exclusively for peace, friendship, and reliability. “Both you and I will put forth maximum effort for this,” said Poroshenko.
The previous meeting between Poroshenko and Lukashenko occurred on November 2nd, 2017 in the United Arab Emirates. On July 21st, 2017 the President of the Republic of Belarus visited Kyiv. At that time he promised Ukraine security from the north.