Ukraine dismisses question of Lukashenko’s legitimacy as irrelevant - MFA

Spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Heorhii Tykhyi stated this during a briefing on January 23, as reported by Ukrinform.

According to him, the outcome of the sham elections is predetermined, and Lukashenko will continue to be an ally of the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine. Since Kyiv has previously refused to recognize Lukashenko as president, it will maintain this stance moving forward.

“We see no conditions for resuming contacts with Alexander Lukashenko. Therefore, the issue of recognizing his legitimacy after the official election results are announced is irrelevant to us. We also stand in solidarity with the position of EU member states, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other democratic countries regarding the absence of basic conditions for holding free and transparent elections in accordance with OSCE standards,” Tykhyi said.

The diplomat also reminded about the de facto deprivation of the right to vote for many citizens living outside Belarus, some of whom were forced to flee due to political persecution.

“Overall, we believe that the Belarusian people deserve the right to elect their government through genuine, democratic, and free elections and to build their own future without Russia’s dictate, imperial ambitions, and Moscow’s attempts to impose puppet regimes on its neighbors,” the spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded.

• In December 2024, the Central Election Commission of Belarus registered five candidates who will participate in the presidential elections on January 26, 2025: Alexander Lukashenko, Oleg Gaydukevich, Sergey Sirankov, Anna Kanapatskaya, and Alexander Khizhnyak. Self-proclaimed president Lukashenko is running for a seventh term.
• On January 21, early voting began in Belarus for the so-called presidential elections and will continue until January 25.
• On January 22, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on EU member states not to recognize the sham presidential elections in Belarus.