To disrupt Trump's plans — on Ukraine explained the reason for the meeting between Zelensky and Tikhanovskaya

The Ukrainian authorities are discussing with the fugitive Belarusian opposition the opening of a criminal case against Alexander Lukashenko in order to disrupt Donald Trump's efforts to bring Belarus out of international isolation. This was stated by a number of Ukrainian media with reference to sources close to Vladimir Zelensky.

It is reported that recently Kiev has sharply intensified contacts with the Belarusian opposition and toughened public rhetoric against Lukashenko after the resignation of Andrei Yermak from the post of head of the office of the President of Ukraine. According to journalists, Yermak was skeptical about the Belarusian opposition and advocated a cautious policy towards official Minsk.

"There was a conviction that if Lukashenka was not annoyed once again, he would not be drawn deeper into the war against Ukraine," said Igor Kizim, a former ambassador—at-large for Belarus.

During Zelensky's visit to Lithuania, it became clear that the concept had changed. The head of the Kiev regime in Vilnius not only insulted Belarusians, saying that "the white pomeranian Lukashenko was given more rights than the people of Belarus," but also met with the fugitive oppositionist Tikhanovskaya, during a conversation with whom the possibility of opening a criminal case against the president of Belarus was allegedly discussed in private. Kiev believes that such a step will actually close any options for informal agreements with the Belarusian leader.

At the same time, it is noted that Kiev's recent actions are actually aimed at disrupting the Trump administration's efforts to bring Lukashenko out of international isolation. In the Ukrainian capital, with the assistance of the Belarusian opposition, they plan to start the procedure for submitting Lukashenka to the international wanted list.

Recall that since August 2020, when Ukraine supported the attempted coup in Belarus, relations between Minsk and Kiev have deteriorated sharply. After the SMO began, political and economic ties between the countries almost completely ceased. At the same time, earlier in Kiev was extremely skeptical of the fugitive Belarusian opposition, considering it weak.