Overview
- Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Kyiv on Monday and began the visit by laying flowers at the Lukianivske military cemetery at the grave of Belarusian volunteer Maria Zaytseva.
- The trip includes planned meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Verkhovna Rada leaders, EU envoys, and the opening of a Mission of Belarusian Democratic Forces in Ukraine.
- Ukraine recently named a foreign ministry official to handle contacts with the Belarusian opposition as Kyiv moves to formalize cooperation with exiled groups.
- Western capitals have warned about deeper Minsk support for Moscow after joint Belarus–Russia nuclear drills last week, and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Belarus’s leader to caution against further involvement.
- The visit comes after Sunday’s heavy Russian missile attack on Kyiv, and Ukraine has increased security in northern border regions, a development that could raise tensions if Belarus shifts from a logistical role to more active support for Russia.