Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha informed NATO allies of growing threats from Belarus at an informal NATO-Ukraine Council session of foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden on 21 May 2026, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
Sybiha urged action to deter and prevent the expansion of aggression by Moscow and Minsk. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier in May Kyiv was tracking new Russian efforts to draw Belarus into Russia's war on Ukraine.
Three-element framework for peace
Sybiha said allies are at a decisive moment of the war and pressure on Moscow continues to grow, the Foreign Ministry said. He outlined three elements he said were key to achieving peace.
"Ukraine is holding the defense, and Russia's numerical superiority is no longer a decisive factor. To achieve peace we must focus on three key elements: diplomacy, pressure, and strength. A new impulse is needed for peace efforts, while strengthening our special long-range sanctions and other levers of influence," Sybiha said.
Call for NATO defense contributions
Sybiha called on every NATO member to contribute to Ukraine's defense and cited last year's NATO decision on 5% defense spending as a historic milestone, crediting the United States.
"Increased defense spending is a guarantee of peace, and I call on every NATO member to contribute to Ukraine's defense. This investment will bring the greatest peace dividend in our lives," Sybiha said.
Ukraine is no longer just asking for help, but is "a contributor to security, a donor, and a partner ready to share its expertise with allies," Sybiha said. He thanked NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.
Belarus and the northern front
Zelenskyy said last week Kyiv was tracking new Russian attempts to draw Belarus into Russia's war on Ukraine, after a meeting with military leadership.
"We know that additional contacts took place between the Russians and Aliaksandr Lukashenka, aimed at convincing him to join new Russian aggressive operations... Ukraine possesses details of the conversation between Russia and Belarus," Zelenskyy said. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said "possible operations in the north—that's real," when commenting on the threat from Belarus.
Lukashenka said Minsk "will not be drawn" into Russia's war on Ukraine unless Belarus's territory came under attack. Belarus has not directly participated in the war, but in February 2022 its authorities provided territory for the passage and deployment of Russian troops, and strikes were launched from Belarusian territory against Ukraine.
