Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held their first formal bilateral meeting on 25 January in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tsikhanouskaya announced on the social media platform X.
"On behalf of Belarusians, I expressed full solidarity with the Ukrainian people fighting for freedom and deep respect for President Zelenskyy's exceptional leadership," Tsikhanouskaya wrote.
The two leaders discussed Belarusians who support Ukraine, volunteers, activists, and partisans imprisoned for their solidarity, as well as the current situation in Belarus under Alexander Lukashenka's authoritarian rule.
From brief encounters to formal talks
While the two leaders have crossed paths before at international summits, including a brief encounter at Zelenskyy's Charlemagne Prize ceremony in Aachen in May 2023 and at the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen in October 2025, this marks their first dedicated bilateral meeting.
In a January 2024 interview, Tsikhanouskaya described their previous encounters: "We once met in an informal setting, exchanged jokes, looked each other in the eyes."
The formalization of their relationship comes at a critical moment. Belarus continues to serve as a launch pad for Russian missiles and drones striking Ukraine, while as of 31 December 2025, there were 1,131 political prisoners in Belarus, according to the Viasna Human Rights Center.
Political prisoners and Lukashenka accountability on agenda
Tsikhanouskaya thanked Zelenskyy and his team for accepting the latest group of released Belarusian political prisoners.
In June 2025, Belarus freed 14 political prisoners, including Tsikhanouskaya's husband Sergei Tikhanovsky, who had spent five years in prison, following US diplomatic pressure.
The meeting also addressed further steps on prisoner releases, sanctions targeting the Lukashenka regime, and accountability for Lukashenka and his accomplices, according to Tsikhanouskaya.
She expressed gratitude to Zelenskyy for his "powerful words" during the commemoration of the January Uprising of 1863, a Polish-Lithuanian-Belarusian rebellion against Russian rule, and for Ukraine's clear support for a democratic Belarus while distinguishing between the Belarusian people and the Lukashenka regime.
Two Belaruses: war enabler vs. Ukraine's future ally
Tsikhanouskaya expressed a desire to deepen cooperation with Ukraine, stating that "the future of a free Ukraine and a free Belarus are inseparable."
Belarus, under the Lukashenka regime, has been a key enabler of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine since February 2022, providing territory, airfields, and logistical support.
