Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on June 19 to remove Russian signal relay stations from Belarusian territory within one week, threatening that Ukraine would act if the equipment was not dismantled [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. Zelenskiy said Belarus hosts four relay stations that assist Russian drone attacks targeting Ukrainian civilians, located in two Belarusian regions bordering Ukraine [1, 11, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10]. "What's the point of saying he (Lukashenko) doesn't want to be in the war? Let him remove this equipment, let him switch it off. I think a week will be enough for him to do that. If he doesn't do it, we'll do it," Zelenskiy said [1].
Zelenskiy also accused Belarusian factories of supplying Russia with military support and highlighted Belarus’ oil refining sector has increased gasoline deliveries to Russia 13-fold and diesel threefold between January and May 2026 compared to last year, aiding the Russian war effort [11, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10]. "Belarus still has time to dismantle this equipment. We also know about every factory in Belarus that works for Russia and supports the war," Zelenskiy said [11]. He added that Belarus’ assistance helps Russia adapt to pressure and delays peace [11].
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko denies plans to deepen Belarus’ involvement in the conflict but says Belarus and Russia would defend each other if attacked [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8]. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian territory in February 2022 and has deployed missiles and conducted joint nuclear drills with Belarus [1, 12, 2, 8].
On June 22, the Kremlin condemned Zelenskiy’s ultimatum, calling it "utterly aggressive," interference in Belarus’ internal affairs, and an encroachment on its sovereignty. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there was no doubt in Belarus’ ability to safeguard its sovereignty [12]. Kyiv denied responsibility for a drone attack on a bus carrying Belarusian children inside Russia that killed one adult and injured six children [1].
Ukraine has conducted drone strikes targeting Russian oil facilities to weaken Russia’s war capabilities [11, 3, 9, 10]. Zelenskiy also expressed support for future peace talks involving the EU, US, and Ukraine with security guarantees and possible EU membership for Ukraine [4]. He met US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit to discuss air defense, missile production licenses, military assistance, and sanctions policy [4].
Zelenskiy’s one-week deadline from June 19 sets a clear timeline for Belarus to dismantle the Russian military relay stations or risk Ukrainian military action.
