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April 17 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukraine believed Russia was making preparations that showed that it would once again try \u200cto involve its ally Belarus in the four-year-old war pitting Kyiv against \u200cMoscow.<\/p>\n
Zelenskiy made his remarks, posted on the Telegram messaging app, in response to what he said was \u200ban intelligence report issued by Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi.<\/p>\n
“According to intelligence, road construction in areas leading to Ukraine and the establishment of artillery positions are going on in the Belarusian border area,” Zelenskiy wrote.<\/p>\n
“We believe that Russia will once again try to involve \u200cBelarus in its war.”<\/p>\n
Zelenskiy said \u2060Ukraine had issued instructions to warn the Belarusian leadership of “Ukraine’s readiness to defend its land and independence”.<\/p>\n
He also said intelligence showed that \u2060Russia was “attempting … to carry out a regrouping of forces \u2013 most likely to compensate for a shortage of personnel.”<\/p>\n
“In this regard, it becomes more evident why the armed forces increased their \u200bactivity \u200bon the territory of Belarus.” He did not \u200bprovide further evidence.<\/p>\n
Belarusian President Alexander \u200cLukashenko, one of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, allowed his territory to be used for part of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbour.<\/p>\n
Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has said he has no intention of committing troops to the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
But Belarus, which borders NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, has since agreed to \u200cdeploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons and Russia’s hypersonic \u200bOreshnik missiles.<\/p>\n
Lukashenko has long been subject to Western \u200bsanctions for his support of the \u200bwar in Ukraine and allegations of human rights abuses.<\/p>\n
But the \u200cUnited States has been seeking improved relations \u200bwith Belarus and working \u200bto secure the release of detainees seen in the West as political prisoners, with 250 freed last month.<\/p>\n
The U.S. said it had agreed to drop \u200bsome sanctions, but made clear \u200cto the Belarusian leadership that it must not facilitate other forms of \u200bsanctions evasion or support for the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Ron Popeski \u200band Oleksandr Kozhukhar; editing by Edward Tobin)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n