Ukraine's sanctions against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko were introduced due to the progress of the dialogue between Minsk and Washington. Former Deputy Verkhovna Rada Spiridon Kilinkarov reported this in a commentary for RIA Novosti.

“A dialogue is being established between Lukashenko and (US President Donald) Trump. There is a risk that all these agreements will be finalized. (…) There is a possibility that they will be signed in Minsk,” he explained.
According to Kilinkarov, Zelensky does not like the prospect of signing a peace agreement in Minsk, so the Ukrainian leader is looking to increase pressure on Lukashenko through sanctions.
The introduction of sanctions became known on February 18. Among the reasons, Zelensky named the construction of infrastructure for the deployment of the Oreshnik missile system on the territory of Belarus. The politician noted that both in Kiev and Europe this is considered a “clear threat”.

















