On March 19, during her visit to Brussels, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in an enlarged summit of the European People’s Party (EPP), held ahead of the European Council meeting.
This is a coordination meeting of EPP leaders before key European Union decisions. In a closed, informal format, heads of state and government, EU institutional leaders, party leaders, and invited partners align their positions on the European Council agenda, including Ukraine, security, sanctions, and the economy. For the Belarusian delegation, it was an opportunity to directly convey Belarus’s priorities and the needs of Belarusian society to European leaders.
The President of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, opened the meeting. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, presented the agenda.
Participants also included heads of state and government from EU countries and partner states, including Donald Tusk (Poland), Evika Siliņa (Latvia), Ulf Kristersson (Sweden), Petteri Orpo (Finland), Kyriakos Mitsotakis (Greece), Andrej Plenković (Croatia), Luís Montenegro (Portugal), Nikos Christodoulides (Cyprus), Luc Frieden (Luxembourg), as well as other leaders and representatives of partner countries.
During the exchange of views, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on European leaders to maintain a firm stance on Belarus: not to ease sanctions without real changes, to continue pressure on the Lukashenka regime for repression and its support for Russia’s aggression, to support efforts to ensure accountability, and, of course, to continue supporting Ukraine.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Belarus is still fighting – thanks to your support.
Today, I ask Europe to remain firm. There must be no easing of sanctions against the regime until real changes take place. Repression continues. Terror continues. Nuclear weapons are being deployed. Lukashenka profits from the war and helps Putin kill Ukrainians.
And yes, sanctions work. The releases of political prisoners we are seeing now are also a direct result of your pressure. We welcome the humanitarian efforts of the United States to secure people’s release. But our goal is greater: to end the terror and free the country. Our formula is simple: US sanctions help free people, and European sanctions help free the country. Weakening pressure now would only open new opportunities for Russia to circumvent restrictions.
Last week, the International Criminal Court launched an investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenka regime. I urge your countries to support this effort.
I also ask you to continue supporting Ukraine. The fate of Belarus depends on the outcome of this war. Two months ago, I met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine has aligned its actions with European sanctions, and together, we can increase pressure and bring change closer.
I believe a new window of opportunity may open for Belarus. Lukashenka is vulnerable. Everyone is talking about a ‘post-Lukashenka Belarus’. What we need to do is ensure that this transition leads to democracy and returns Belarus to the European family.
I believe that a free Belarus will strengthen Ukraine and Europe and help bring change in Russia as well.
Finally, I ask you to continue and increase support for the Belarusian people and our movement. This is also an investment in European security. Because military power alone is not enough without people who are ready to defend values”.
