More sanctions have followed over Minsk's role in the Ukraine war. The resolution also condemned the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, calling it a "blatant violation of Belarus's nuclear-free status."īelarus has welcomed closer relations with Moscow since a wave of crushing sanctions were imposed on it by the West after a deadly government crackdown on massive protests following a disputed 2020 presidential election that handed Lukashenka a sixth term. The ICC in March issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of being responsible for the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine, which constitutes a war crime. The resolution expressed concern about "the rampant political, economic, military, and cultural subordination of Belarus to Moscow," calling Belarus "a satellite state of Russia."Īdopted with 453 votes in favor, it also denounced the "illegal transfer of more than 2,150 children, including orphans" from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to Belarus and called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider issuing a warrant for Lukashenka's arrest. ![]() On September 13, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning Belarus's involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine and called Lukashenka regime "an accomplice in the crimes committed by Russia." ![]() The announcement sparked immediate criticism from governments around the world, while NATO called it "dangerous and irresponsible." The two allies signed documents allowing for the placement of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus - the first relocation of such warheads outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union - in May. ![]() While Belarus has not sent forces to join Russia's war in Ukraine, it has allowed Moscow to use its territory as a staging ground for the full-scale invasion it launched in February 2022. Gone too was the pomp of fighter jet flyovers, massive columns of tanks, and most other military hardware, though leaders of former Soviet states including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Armenia attended the military parade, a sign of how much sway the Kremlin still has in Central Asia and other regions near Russia. Putin presided over scaled-down commemorations, while parades in several other cities were canceled and traditional processions in which people carry portraits of relatives who fought against the Nazis were scrapped. Guterres said he hoped it would be possible "in the future" to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. ![]() It is clear that the two sides "are completely absorbed in this war" and "are convinced that they can win," Guterres said in an interview published on May 9 by the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais. In contrast, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on May 9 hours after a volley of Russian missiles were launched at the Ukrainian capital, saying she was happy to be in a country "where the values we hold dear are defended every day."Īs the events commemorating European unity in Kyiv and the end of World War II in Moscow took place, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said peace negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine were "not possible at this moment." He accused what he called "Western globalist elites" of "sowing hatred, Russophobia, aggressive nationalism," and destroying "family, traditional values," refrains he has used often since he launched his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here. RFE/RL's Live Briefinggives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians.
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