The Ukrainian president said his country supported “the aspirations of the Belarusian people to free themselves from Russian interference” following talks with Tsikhanouskaya, who fled her homeland after challenging pro-Kremlin president Alexander Lukashenko in the disputed 2020 election. Belarus, Russia’s closest ally in the region, allowed Moscow to use its territory as a launchpad for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though Belarusian troops have not formally entered the war. Zelenskyy said he hoped Ukraine and Belarus would one day restore “good neighborly relations based on the real independence of both Ukraine and Belarus from Moscow.” “Ukraine has never been a threat to Belarus. And we are grateful to those Belarusians who stand with Ukraine – now, when the fate of both our independence and the independence of every nation that borders Russia is being decided,” the president said on social media. The leader met as Tsikhanouskaya visited Ukraine for a summit in Kyiv bringing together representatives from 24 countries, including European neighbors Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. Ukraine victory ‘crucial for Belarus’