Joined a side-event on Belarus at the EU Delegation in New York, alongside @Braze_Baiba, @Tsihanouskaya, @alain_berset, @TKajzer, @KajsaOllongren, @jamiemfly, and other partners.

Belarus is Russia's accomplice in the war against Ukraine. Its territory, infrastructure, and resources continue to serve Russia's war machine.

Belarusian oil refineries are fueling Russia's war effort, and signal relay equipment on Belarusian soil is used to support drone attacks against us.

Belarus's other borders have long been exploited for security threats against Europe, including irregular migration used to destabilize our neighbors.

Lukashenka and his regime's senior officials must face justice before the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, just like Putin and his circle.

There can be no wishful thinking about the Minsk regime — it has no independent agency from Moscow. Pressure on both regimes must be applied without exceptions or compromises.

We must also distinguish Lukashenka's regime from the Belarusian people, who made their democratic choice clear in 2020. A free Belarus is not just a dream — it is essential to the security of our whole region. Easing pressure now would send Moscow and Minsk exactly the wrong signal: that aggression pays off.

I want to separately highlight our cooperation with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, whose briefing was part of today's event.

Ukraine has strengthened its dialogue with her and the Belarusian democratic forces, and I support the sanctions proposals she and her team have put forward.

At @MFA_Ukraine we appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Cooperation with Belarusian Democratic Forces to deepen this partnership.