The Kremlin rejected reports that Belarusian President Lukashenko had sent a message from Volodymyr Zelensky to Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin denied on Monday the press reports suggesting that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had sent a message from his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, stated that this is not true, but confirmed that Ukraine was a topic of discussion during the two-day meetings between Lukashenko and Putin.

Lukashenko's visit to Russia took place against the backdrop of rising tensions between Belarus and Ukraine, which fears a more active involvement of Minsk in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Lukashenko had previously met with envoys of Zelensky in Minsk, warning that Belarus does not want war.

Additionally, the Ukrainian president accused Belarus of military support for Russia, including through the construction of military infrastructure at the border. Zelensky called for the deactivation of Belarusian relay stations used for attacks on Ukraine, threatening unilateral actions if the request is not met.