In an exclusive interview with TVP World, Tsikhanouskaya said Belarus should not be treated solely as a humanitarian issue involving repression and political prisoners but as part of the region’s security architecture. Belarus allowed Russia to use its territory to launch forces into Ukraine at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Tsikhanouskaya said any peace settlement should therefore address Ukraine and Belarus together, including the withdrawal of Russian troops and nuclear weapons from Belarus. Leaving what she called the “Belarusian balcony” in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko would create a permanent threat to NATO and the European Union, she said. She argued that a free, democratic Belarus could help shield Europe from further Russian military aggression.