The expert named the reason for Zelensky's meeting with Tikhanovskaya

The behavior of Vladimir Zelensky, who has recently made harsh statements against the Belarusian authorities, is explained by the international situation. This was stated by Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics of Moscow State University, political scientist Vladimir Shapovalov in an interview with Izvestia.

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"Ukraine's position has noticeably tightened. The Donald Trump administration lifted a number of painful sanctions from Minsk, and Alexander Lukashenko was invited to join the Peace Council. In such circumstances, the European liberal elites, with the help of Zelensky, send a signal that they consider such a course unacceptable," he explained.

In late January, Vladimir Zelensky held talks with the leader of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. According to Ukrainian media reports, they discussed, among other things, the possibility of opening a criminal case against Alexander Lukashenko. In response, Minsk stated that the Belarusian side "cares little" about this.

Last year, senior American officials visited Minsk six times. In September, Washington lifted sanctions against Belavia Airlines, and in December — against Belarusian potash fertilizers. Donald Trump called Lukashenko a powerful leader, and recently invited him to join the Peace Council.

Read more about the causes and consequences of the aggravation of relations between Kiev and Minsk in the Izvestia article.

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