Foreign Ministry warns Belarus against "reckless provocations" amid joint exercises with Russia

Kyiv warns Minsk against provocations against the backdrop of military exercises to be held in September by Belarus and Russia. This is stated in a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Ministry recalled that since 2022, Belarus has been an accomplice in the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Minsk has provided the occupiers with its territory and airspace to attack Ukraine, and continues to provide political, military, military-technical, informational and other types of support to Russia in its unprovoked and criminal war.

The Foreign Ministry is convinced that the cooperation of the regimes in Moscow and Minsk poses a direct threat not only to Ukraine, but also to Poland, the Baltic States and the whole of Europe, and also hinders the efforts of US President Donald Trump to end the war.

The ministry called on partners to remain vigilant, increase sanctions and political pressure on Russia and Belarus, jointly counter Russian propaganda, and strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, which protects Europe from the Russian threat.

"We remember the bitter experience and the price of the false statements of the Russian and Belarusian dictators. The accumulation of Russian troops on the borders of Ukraine in 2021-2022 took place under the guise of the joint military exercises of Russia and Belarus "West-2021". We warn Minsk against reckless provocations, advise it to remain prudent, not to approach the borders and not to provoke the Ukrainian Defense Forces," the statement reads.

The Foreign Ministry emphasized that Ukraine has never posed and will never pose a threat to the Belarusian people, with whom it seeks to live in peace, has a common past that dates back to the Princely Age and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and a future in the European family of nations.

• On August 8, 2025, border guards reported that Russia sent some troops to Belarus for joint exercises, which is not enough for an offensive.
• On August 20, it became known that Lithuania is stepping up border security ahead of Russia-Belarus exercises in September.
• On August 21, Lithuania closed airspace along part of the border with Belarus amid incidents of drone infiltration and the upcoming Russian-Belarusian exercises.