Kremlin: Putin to Discuss Ukraine’s Ultimatum on Relays with Lukashenko Soon

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to contact Belarus in the near future to discuss Ukraine’s ultimatum regarding the removal of relay stations. These devices are used to guide Russian drone strikes against Ukrainian cities.

Speaking to the Russian news agency Interfax, Peskov said in response to a question about whether Putin and Lukashenko would discuss the one-week deadline set by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: "Indeed, and you know that Alexander Grigoryevich (Lukashenko) spoke about this; in the near future (Putin) plans to establish contacts. This will be a good opportunity to discuss these and other issues."

Peskov stated that the Kremlin considers Ukraine’s demand "absolutely aggressive, an interference in another country’s internal affairs, an encroachment on another country’s sovereignty." However, he added that Russia has no doubt that Belarus’s leadership and Belarus itself are capable of ensuring its sovereignty.

On June 19, Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has one week to remove the relays, or Ukraine will do it itself.

These developments occur amid heightened tensions. Zelensky previously warned that Russia continues efforts to drag Belarus into the war, possibly with the aim of launching an operation against a NATO country. Ukrainian commander with the call sign "Madjar" said the military has already identified 500 targets on Belarusian territory and urged Lukashenko not to get involved. Lukashenko responded by threatening to strike a "very serious" target in Ukraine but later apologized for his harsh words.