French President Emmanuel Macron warned Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko against participation in Moscow’s war against Ukraine during a conversation on 24 May, AFP news agency reported citing a source close to Macron.
The warning was sounded during the first telephone conversation between the two leaders since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, which partly started from the Belarusian territory.
Macron “highlighted the risks for Belarus that would arise if it allowed itself to be drawn into Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” said the source, who wished to remain anonymous.
“He also urged Alexander Lukashenko to take the necessary measures to improve relations between Belarus and Europe,” the AFP interlocutor added.
Russia and its ally Belarus held nuclear drills a few days ago amid escalating drone attacks on Russia. Belarus, which borders NATO’s eastern flank, also hosts Oreshnik, Russia’s latest missile system capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Earlier, Minsk said that the telephone conversation between Macron and Lukashenko was held at the initiative of the French side and concerned “regional issues,” as well as Belarus’ relations with the European Union and, in particular, Paris.
On 19 May, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyy called possible offensive operations of the Russian Federation from Belarus real.