Ukraine calls on the West to increase pressure on Russia because of its influence on Belarus, Emine Dzhaparova, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, has said.
“The West should increase pressure on Russia for its actions towards Belarus,” the press service of the Foreign Ministry quotes Dzhaparova as saying during an informal high-level Arria-formula meeting of the UN Security Council, dedicated to the situation in Belarus.
According to her, Russia is using Belarus as a base for manipulating migration flows, which it directs to Poland and Lithuania.
Dzhaparova noted the importance, both for Ukraine and Europe, for Belarus to remain a sovereign and independent state, and further integration with Russia will not lead to the emergence of new challenges and threats on the borders of Ukraine and the European Union.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also drew attention to the ongoing violations of human rights and the campaign of political repression in Belarus.
“To say that we are alarmed is to say nothing,” she said, adding that citizens of Ukraine have also become victims of repressions of the Belarusian authorities.
