Belarus leader says country stands with Russia in campaign against Ukraine

Government in Kyiv is concerned neighbour could now be dragged into direct conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the Konstantinovsky Palace in St Petersburg, Russia, on June 25. EPA

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday said that his former Soviet state stood fully behind Russia in its military drive in Ukraine as part of its longstanding commitment to a "union state" with Moscow.

Mr Lukashenko, considered Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally, has allowed Russian troops to use his country's territory in invading Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Belarusian leader's statement was a "signal" and his actions were to be watched carefully.

Some Ukrainian officials suggest Belarus could soon become directly involved in the conflict.

Addressing a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Second World War liberation of Minsk by Soviet troops, Mr Lukashenko said he had thrown his weight behind Mr Putin's campaign against Ukraine "from the very first day" in late February.

"Today, we are being criticised for being the only country in the world to support Russia in its fight against Nazism," he told the gathering in a video on the state BelTA news agency.

"We support and will continue to support Russia. And those who criticise us, do they not know that we have such a close union with the Russian Federation? … That we have practically a unified army?

"But you knew all this. We will remain together with fraternal Russia."

Belarus has been committed to a "union state" with Russia since the mid-1990s, but little progress has been made on the plan, and in the past year Mr Lukashenko has insisted that his country must retain its "sovereignty".

But he has become increasingly dependent on the Kremlin since. With Russian support and a security crackdown, he contained mass protests by demonstrators accusing him of rigging his re-election in 2020.

Mr Zelenskyy said in Kyiv, alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, that Mr Lukashenko's comments were a "dangerous" development, Ukrainian media reported.

His comments about a unified army with Russia was, above all, dangerous for the Belarusian people, Mr Zelenskyy said.

"He must not drag Belarus into a Russian war of invasion against Ukraine," he said. "I believe this is a dangerous signal. And I believe that we will all see the results of this signal."

A senior Ukrainian intelligence official last week said the risk of a direct invasion of Ukraine by troops from Belarus was low.

But the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadoviy, said at the weekend that the situation on the Belarusian border was unpredictable, and he had convened a meeting of city officials to work out contingency plans in case of an escalation.