Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to take concrete steps towards de-escalation, Ukrainian media reported on Sunday.
Lukashenko had recently called on Moscow and Kiev to end the war, saying a military victory was unrealistic for either side. At the same time, he said Ukraine had nothing to fear from Belarus and apologized to Zelensky for harsh comments in the past.
"Lukashenko must demonstrate de-escalation beyond just words," Zelensky said in an interview with Ukrainian media. A mere apology from Moscow's close ally was not enough, he said.
"He can keep his 'I apologize' to himself - that hasn't worked since the first day of the war."
Belarus is considered Russia's closest ally. When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, they also attacked in the direction of the Ukrainian capital Kiev from Belarusian territory, but were forced to withdraw after suffering heavy losses.
Zelensky has been warning for weeks that Russia is trying to draw Belarus into the war and has cautioned Minsk against allowing this.
Kiev says it is currently threatened by several Russian relay stations on Belarusian territory. Ukraine says Russia is using these relay points to guide drones in attacks on targets in Ukraine.
Zelensky has repeatedly called on Lukashenko to dismantle the installations: "If they don't switch it off, we will switch it off. Full stop."
