Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with American blogger and scientist Lex Fridman, disclosed details of a phone conversation with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during the initial days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus acts as a staging ground for Russian military operations, including the deployment of missiles and army units, and served as a launch point for the 2022 assault on Kyiv.
Lukashenko admitted to Zelensky that he's given up all sovereignty to filthy Russian savages. pic.twitter.com/fpmZ8sSM7I
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) January 5, 2025
According to Zelensky, Lukashenko apologized for missile str1kes on Ukraine originating from Belarus, asserting that the attacks were ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin and beyond his control. Zelensky reportedly responded by holding Lukashenko accountable, questioning how such actions were allowed from Belarusian territory.
Zelensky also claimed that Lukashenko suggested Ukraine retaliate by targeting the Mozyr Oil Refinery in Belarus’s Gomel Oblast—at the border with Ukraine—which Zelensky rejected. The Mozyr Oil Refinery is the biggest refinery in Belarus and a major fuel supplier to the Russian military, processing approximately 13,700 tons of oil per day in May 2022.
Lukashenko’s spokesperson, Natalia Eismont, denied the apology, stating there was no reason for Belarus to apologize.