Zelenskyy invites Tikhanovskaya to Kyiv after meeting in Vilnius
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a historic bilateral meeting with Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition, in Vilnius on 25 January.
This was reported by Tikhanovskaya on her Telegram channel.
The meeting took place during Zelenskyy’s visit to Lithuania to mark the anniversary of the January Uprising of 1863–1864 — a national liberation struggle against the Russian Empire.
The leaders discussed key issues of mutual solidarity in the fight for freedom.
Tikhanovskaya, speaking on behalf of Belarusians, expressed full support for Ukrainians resisting aggression. She thanked Zelenskyy for his “strong speech” at the ceremony honouring the uprising’s participants and for clearly distinguishing between the Belarusian people and the Lukashenko regime.
The opposition leader emphasised the role of Belarusian volunteers, aid workers and partisans who have been persecuted for showing solidarity with Ukraine.
Special attention was given to the fate of captured Belarusian fighters and the recent release of political prisoners. Tikhanovskaya noted the contribution of Zelenskyy’s team, in particular Kyrylo Budanov, in facilitating the reception of another group of released prisoners.
The two sides agreed on further steps to expand such operations and confirmed Kyiv’s readiness to provide shelter.
