The meeting took place today, August 9, at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Lithuania for supporting Belarus’ democratic community and welcoming tens of thousands of Belarusians and hundreds of NGOs and businesses forced to leave the country due to repression.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called on the President to abstain from bringing the restrictions against Belarusians in synch with those against Russians. She noted that she is aware of the risks associated with possible activities of agents of the Belarusian regime, but this should not harm the majority of Belarusians who do not support the regime and Russia. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that equating Belarusians and Russians only works in the favor of Russia’s and Lukashenka’s propaganda, demoralizes Belarusians, and limits the work of its civil society. The Belarusian leader proposed expanding the list of individual sanctions against the regime’s henchmen and closing loopholes in existing sanctions instead. Mr. Nausėda and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also discussed the potential border closure and the need to maintain humanitarian corridors in case of escalation.
The parties also talked about the situation with Wagner mercenaries in Belarus and the threats they pose to Belarusian society and neighboring countries, as well as possible developments and responses. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya informed Mr. Nausėda that Belarusian society strongly opposes the presence of Wagner mercenaries, nuclear weapons, and Russian troops in Belarus.
They also discussed the results of the New Belarus Conference. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that democratic forces have chosen the path toward EU membership, which will become a strategic priority for the democratic movement, and spoke about the New Belarus Passport project that should help Belarusians who possess expired documents or are at risk of losing their citizenship.
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