Zelensky Warns Russia Seeks Belarus Role in Attacks on Ukraine and NATO

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 15 that Ukrainian intelligence has evidence Russia is trying to draw Belarus more directly into its war against Ukraine, including potential military actions launched from Belarus that could threaten both Kyiv’s northern region and NATO’s eastern flank. Zelensky said the alleged plans include either a renewed push toward Kyiv through the Chernihiv area or operations aimed directly at a NATO member bordering Belarus, particularly Poland, Lithuania or Latvia.

Speaking after a briefing with Ukraine’s military and intelligence leadership, Zelensky said Kyiv identified new contacts between Russian officials and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko meant to persuade Minsk to join further Russian operations. He also said he possesses details of communications between the two leaders. No independent verification of the allegations has been made public, and neither the Kremlin nor Belarusian authorities have formally responded to Zelensky’s claims.

Central to Ukraine’s warning is the Suwalki Gap, a narrow corridor linking Poland and Lithuania and bordered by Russian and Belarusian territory. NATO planners have long described the...