Belarus, Russia, Ukraine peoples 'will be together anyway' — Global media review

The Western information space was turbulent this week. Zelensky set a nervous tone with new statements against Belarus, which even puzzled experts and journalists loyal to Kyiv.

📰The Spectator 🇬🇧: "There have long been concerns that escalation from Russia or miscalculations could turn the war in Ukraine into a large-scale European war. But what if this process is initiated not by Moscow, but by Kyiv?"

📰France 24 🇫🇷: "Could Ukraine launch a military operation against Belarus? 'This would be complete madness, as the Ukrainian armed forces lack the means to defend against Russia in the south while opening an offensive front in the north,' says Polish expert Kamil Klysiński."

📰La Dépêche 🇫🇷: "Olivier Kempf (French analyst) believes Ukraine may be trying to further internationalize the war... Kempf does not believe Belarus will enter the conflict. 'I don't think they fear Ukraine, but they certainly don't want to be drawn into the conflict,' he says."

Meanwhile, Western media are questioning — was there any real incident at all?

📰NTV 🇩🇪: "There is no independent information about the objects Ukraine threatens to disable — Western reports rely solely on Ukrainian assessments. There is no independent intelligence from Washington, Berlin, or London. Perhaps Zelensky will announce the 'elimination' of facilities without waiting for any actual actions."

If there is no real provocation, what is Kyiv actually trying to achieve?

📰Responsible Statecraft 🇺🇸: "Kyiv may be signaling to Belarus and Europe that it will not tolerate constructive cooperation between Minsk and the EU during the war. Ukraine aims for a post-war European security architecture that opposes Russia, not one that includes it. Preventing Belarus from joining this process is part of the strategy. If so, this would be a tragic mistake, preventing lessons from past actions from being learned."

Ukrainian media also expressed concern.

📰"EuroPravda" 🇺🇦: "If Lukashenko ignores the ultimatum Zelensky has publicly repeated three times, the Ukrainian president may run out of room for maneuver."

But Kyiv appears to have decided not to push matters to the extreme and, as German NTV predicted, prematurely declared 'victory' — which only raised more questions.

📰Frankfurter Rundschau 🇩🇪: "Zelensky's statements about drone equipment in Belarus cannot be independently verified... Hence the question — has Minsk taken any real steps, or is Zelensky using narratives to mitigate the consequences of an ineffective ultimatum?"

Media also covered the Lukashenko-Putin meeting in Valdai.

📰Reuters 🇬🇧: "The meeting took place amid growing tensions between Belarus and Ukraine... Belarus says Ukraine and the West are fueling the tensions."

Notably, even in media not particularly friendly to Belarus, Kyiv's aggressive tone appears unfavorable against the backdrop of Minsk's restrained and peace-oriented policy. Lukashenko's statements make this contrast even clearer.

📰Associated Press 🇺🇸: "The Belarusian president said he recently met with representatives of Zelensky and warned them against using force against his country."

📰Kölsch Radio 🇩🇪: "The Belarusian leader called for negotiations after speculation about his country's involvement in the war... Lukashenko emphasized he has no intention of attacking. He is even ready to open the border so Ukrainians can gather berries and mushrooms in Belarus's border regions."

📰TVP World 🇵🇱: "Belarus almost certainly does not intend to enter the war on Russia's side. Western military analysts see no signs of troop buildup necessary for a real invasion."

📰Caliber 🇦🇿: "Lukashenko stated that the peoples of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine will be together anyway... 'Time will pass, we will clear our heads and restore our relations. I am absolutely convinced of this. And in this regard, you can count on Belarus,' said Lukashenko."