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During his visit to Slovakia, Zelensky compared the current situation in Belarus to the outbreak of mass protests in Ukraine in 2013-2014, which ended with the overthrow of the Russian-backed president.
“If the government does not find a way to enter into a dialogue with its people, it will cease to exist,” he told reporters after a meeting in Bratislava with Slovak President Zuzana Čaputova.
“We know what bloodshed means. “We buried the Ukrainians who died on Maidan, we saw people and buildings on fire,” he said, referring to the protests in Kiev’s Independence Square.
“Today, we see that if the government does not stop these actions, especially those led by law enforcement agencies against its people, it will receive a very powerful response from the people,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky’s spokeswoman Julia Mendel confirmed to the AFP news agency on Thursday that the president’s planned visit to Belarus in October had been canceled.
Belarus has been plagued by massive protests since the August 9 presidential election, in which the country’s leader, Aliaksandr Lukashenko, claimed victory. As the mass demonstrations continued, he became dependent on Russian support.
Ukraine on Wednesday joined the growing list of states, saying it did not recognize Lukashenko as a legitimate leader of Belarus. That day the presumed leader of the country took office in secret.
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