Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba threatens Belarus if its President Alexander Lukashenko recognizes Crimea as belonging to the Russian Federation.
This is reported by RIA Novosti, referring to the statement of the diplomat, which he made in Riga at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the NATO countries. According to him, “Kiev will evaluate the president’s actions, not words.” When Lukashenka says about his recognition of the peninsula, the Ukrainian side is going to act “in full.”
“We will evaluate his actions. If Belarus really recognizes the illegal occupation of Crimea by Russia, it will deal an irreparable blow to the Ukrainian-Belarusian relations. We will act in full”, Kuleba said.
Lukashenko earlier in an interview with RIA Novosti already spoke about his plans to visit Crimea. He also said that since 2014, after the referendum, the peninsula has de jure and de facto become Russian territory. The president called his future trip a recognition of this fact on the part of Belarus.
Kuleba did not forget to react to this event and immediately began to frighten Minsk that “Kiev does not allow itself to abstain” in this matter. At the same time, it is not entirely clear what exactly Ukraine can do to harm Belarus and why it should be frightened by it. Most likely, it will beg from Europe and the United States for new sanctions, and it itself can do little.