Zelensky warns Belarus against joining war, cites Venezuela as cautionary example

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said military activity in Belarus has increased.

Intelligence shows that roads are being built toward Ukrainian territory in Belarusian border areas and that artillery positions are being set up there, Zelensky said. He added that Ukraine believes Russia may try once again to draw Belarus into the war.

Zelensky also invoked the recent events in Venezuela, in which the United States captured that country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro. He said he had directed Ukrainian officials to use appropriate channels to warn Belarus’s de facto leadership that Ukraine is prepared to defend its land and independence, and that what happened in Venezuela should serve as a warning to the Belarusian leadership against making mistakes.

Alexander Lukashenko has said he does not want war but is prepared to enter one if Ukraine attacks Belarus. Zelensky, for his part, has said that Ukraine has no intention of attacking Belarusian territory. Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly issued appeals (1, 2) to the people of Belarus, urging them not to participate in Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukrainian forces have also mined territory near the Belarusian border.

U.S. special forces abducted Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their residence in Caracas in the early hours of January 3. They were taken to an American warship and then flown to New York. U.S. authorities charged the Venezuelan leader with drug trafficking and weapons possession, and his wife with drug trafficking and accepting bribes.