Presidents of Lithuania, Latvia, Poland boycott joint photo at COP28 summit over Lukashenko

On December 1, the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland, Gitanas Nausėda, Edgars Rinkēvičs, and Andrzej Duda, boycotted the joint photo at the UN climate meeting COP28 in Dubai because of the presence of self proclaimed Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko

This is reported by LRT.IT.

Nausėda believes that it would be hypocritical to pose with the leader of a country that is the arena of Russian aggression against Ukraine and discuss the future of the world and climate change. He stated that the Belarusian regime is contributing to the destruction of the future world and, together with Russia, is responsible for the deaths and catastrophic environmental impact in Ukraine.

"This is a family photo. Lukashenko is not part of the family we want to belong to," the Lithuanian leader added.

The presidents of Latvia and Poland, Edgars Rinkēvičs and Andrzej Duda, who also accuse Lukashenko of allowing Russia to use the territory of Belarus as a base for attacking Ukraine and deploying tactical nuclear weapons, also refused to be photographed.

For reference. COP28 calls on countries to accelerate greenhouse gas emission reductions and phase out fossil fuels. This year's conference, attended by about 70,000 people, focuses on accelerating the energy transition, defining climate finance, and focusing climate action on nature, people, lives and livelihoods.