Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the opening of the International Summit of Cities and Regions in Kyiv. The summit was opened by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk; the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Svyrydenko; and representatives of the government, regions, cities, international organizations, and partner countries.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stressed that Ukraine’s victory is crucial for the future of Belarus. She noted that the main contribution a free Belarus can make to Ukraine’s future security is guaranteeing that the more than one thousand kilometers of shared border will remain safe.
“For me, the question is not whether Ukraine will win. The only question is when. And that depends on how much we do to bring that moment closer. Ukraine is fighting for itself and for all nations that have lived in the shadow of the empire for far too long. It is fighting for the right to live in peace. And the fate of my country, Belarus, also depends on Ukraine’s success.
I believe that Ukraine’s victory will open the path to a free Belarus.
I saw the enormous price Ukraine has paid — and continues to pay every day — for our shared future. That is why the main thing Belarus can and must offer Ukraine in the future is security. A guarantee that the more than one thousand kilometers of our shared border will be safe. That Belarus will never again become a launching ground for aggression. That Russian tanks will never again pass through Belarus toward Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, or Kyiv.
I am convinced that when Belarus becomes free, our cities and regions on both sides of the border will restore partnership and cooperation. And the question is no longer whether this will happen. The only question is when”.
