"President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Serbia, the first by a Ukrainian head of state since 2018, could mark a new chapter in relations between the two countries. It also raised questions about what each side hopes to gain.What is Kyiv trying to achieve by deepening ties with Serbia, one of the few countries in Europe, alongside Turkey and Russian ally Belarus, that has not imposed sanctions on Russia? And what does Belgrade, still heavily dependent on Moscow for energy supplies, stand to gain by welcoming the Ukrainian leader?
"We did not discuss any form of military cooperation. What happens once the war is over is another matter," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said at a joint press conference with Zelensky. Serbia's leader is often portrayed as a politician sitting on two chairs, carefully balancing between East and West." KI
"Belarus' exiled opposition has handed President Volodymyr Zelensky a list of warning signs that Minsk soon plans to enter Russia's war against Ukraine.
The document, created by the United Transition Cabinet of Belarus and handed to Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha on June 22, outlines clear policy areas pointing to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's domestic shift towards a wartime posture.The points that the exiled cabinet drew attention to included constitutional changes cancelling Belarus' status as a neutral, non-nuclear state, a two-fold increase in the recruiting of new contract soldiers, a five-fold increase in military spending in the state budget, and the militarization of society, including children.
"Belarus has ceased to be a neutral and non-nuclear country," the report says.
The report notes that Belarus adopted a new military doctrine in 2024 that officially allows pre-emptive strikes in response to an "imminent threat."
On June 18, President Zelensky gave a public ultimatum to Lukashenko, giving his Belarusian counterpart a week to remove signal repeator equipment on Belarusian territory used to help guide Russian drone strikes.
Russia's Shahed-type long-range strike drones are known to use mesh radio stations to navigate, communicating both with each other and ground stations on their way to Ukrainian citiies." KI
"Rare diplomatic contact: Macron and Lukashenko spoke by phone for the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion, with France initiating the conversation.
Warning over escalation: Macron cautioned Lukashenko about the risks of Belarus being drawn further into Russia's war and urged better ties with Europe.
Tensions on the border: Despite no current troop buildup, Ukraine warns of Russian pressure on Belarus and possible use of its territory for future offensives." msn
"Belarusian opposition leader in exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Kyiv.
Tsikhanouskaya began her visit to the Ukrainian capital by visiting the Lukianivske military cemetery, where 24-year-old Belarusian volunteer soldier and activist Maria Zaitseva is buried. Zaitseva was killed in action in Ukraine's east." Pravada
"Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 205 prisoners of war, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced.The ministry said the Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus and are receiving psychological and medical assistance, adding that they will be taken to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation.
The officials noted that the release was negotiated with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates, which has helped mediate exchanges on numerous occasions." RT
"According to the U.S. president, two Moldovan citizens and three Poles, including Andrzej Poczobut, were released. Polish President Karol Nawrocki asked Trump to help secure Poczobut’s release from a Belarusian prison, the U.S. leader said.“We worked very hard to make this release happen … Today Poczobut is free thanks to our efforts. The United States helps its allies and friends. Thank you to President Alexander Lukashenko for the cooperation and friendship. So nice!” Trump wrote.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko held talks in Minsk with a delegation led by U.S. special envoy John Cole. After the meeting, Lukashenko said the United States had proposed a deal to him “on various issues.” It later emerged that Belarus had released 250 political prisoners.
Trump later thanked Lukashenko for releasing more than 500 political prisoners and said he was “looking forward” to meeting him at the Peace Council." msn
"As proof, the organization cited one of the contracts, under which OJSC Planar delivered four installations to the Kremniy El plant worth nearly $4 million in 2023 and 2024.BelPol noted that Kremniy El is only one of the enterprises receiving equipment from the Belarusian company OJSC Planar.
The Belarusian enterprise also supplies equipment to Moscow, Kaluga, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod and other Russian cities.
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed that the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Bryansk microelectronics plant Kremniy El with air-launched Storm Shadow missiles." msn
"Russia's state-owned oil pipeline monopoly Transneft has cut crude intake by 250,000 barrels
per day after a Ukrainian drone strike damaged a critical pumping station.
Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) launched a drone attack on the Kaleykino oil pumping station — a key oil transportation hub — in Russia's Tatarstan overnight, an agency source told the Kyiv Independent. The station serves the Druzhba pipeline, one of the world's largest crude oil networks, carrying nearly two million barrels per day from Russia through Belarus and Ukraine to Central Europe." KI
"President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 23 in an interview with Belarusian independent outlet Dzerkalo that Russia has deployed Shahed drone repeaters in Belarus to help coordinate attacks on Ukraine, saying Minsk can no longer deny responsibility."Now Belarus knows exactly what is happening on its territory," Zelensky said. "It is no longer possible to say… that ‘the missiles were launched, and they had been here for a long time, and we do not control this.’"
He said the repeaters represent new technology used to adjust drone strikes targeting Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure.
"The repeaters of modern Shahed drones are a new technology that has appeared on the territory of Belarus and helps to strike our people and energy facilities," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine has acted to remove several of them. "We did everything we could to ensure that three or four of them were no longer there."
Zelensky stressed that Russian drones are not only flying through Belarusian airspace but are also receiving technical support from its territory, arguing that responsibility now lies directly with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
"Now it definitely depends on (Lukashenko)," he said, warning Belarusians must understand the risks of deeper involvement in the war." KI
"Polish authorities temporarily closed the airspace along the northern part of Poland's borderwith Belarus overnight on Jan. 30-31 after unidentified objects — believed to be Belarusian smuggling balloons — were detected in the region.
The incident, the second such airspace incursion this week, forced a halt to civilian aviation in northeastern Podlaskie Voivodeship region, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on social media.
European airports have increasingly dealt with airspace alerts involving drones or unidentified objects, prompting temporary shutdowns in cities various European cities." KI
"Belarus freed 123 political prisoners, including 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and a number of American citizens, after the U.S. agreed to lift some trade sanctions on the state.
The release of the prisoners came after John Coale, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, met Friday and Saturday with Belarus’s autocratic president, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, at his palace in Minsk, The New York Times reported. A catalyst for the diplomatic breakthrough was the U.S. government’s agreeing to remove sanctions on potash, according to BBC News. Potash is an important ingredient used for fertilizer and also a key export for the Russia-aligned Belarus, according to the outlet."
DC
"Poland's National Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday that five individuals have beencharged with working on behalf of a foreign intelligence service, following coordinated arrests which spanned November Tuesday through Wednesday of this week by the Internal Security Agency and police.
Those taken into custody include two Ukrainian nationals - identified only as Oleksandr S. and a minor, Sofia Ch. - and in addition three Belarusian citizens identified as Viktoryia M., Anton M., and Uladzimir U.
The group is accused of targeting the Polish state for espionage purposes, with prosecutors alleging that throughout much of 2024 the team collected information on sensitive locations. "The suspects' activities involved establishing contact with foreign intelligence representatives via Telegram and carrying out assigned tasks, including the creation and transmission of photographic documentation of critical infrastructure facilities and locations crucial to national security," a press release translated from Polish to English read." ZeroHedge
"Poland's State Protection Service neutralized a drone flying over government buildings in Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on social media on Sept. 15.
Two Belarusian citizens have been detained amid an investigation into the incident, Tusk added.
The Polish prime minister said the drone had been operating near several government buildings in the Polish capital, including the Belweder palace, which serves as one of the official presidential residences and a guest house for international dignitaries." KI
"Ironically this positive momentum between the US and Belarus is happening at a moment the Moscow-allied 'Union State' is hosting joint Russian war games, the "Zapad-2025" drills - also amid soaring tensions with NATO. But another unexpected development has occurred Monday: the Pentagon has sent representatives to observe the war games from Belarusian soil." ZH
"Russia and Belarus plan to work out a plan for the use of nuclear weapons and Oreshnik
missile systems during their joint Zapad-2025 exercises on 12-16 September." Pravada
"Russia overnight launched an unprecedented 728 Shahed drones as well as decoy drones, accompanied also by 13 cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described that the northwestern city of Lutsk, near the borders with Poland and Belarus, suffered the most intense attacks and damage, and ten other regions were also targeted." ZH
"Russian and Belarusian citizens who reside in Lithuania will have their residence permits revoked if they travel to Russia or Belarus more than once within a three month period, Lithuanian media outlet LRT reported on May 3.
According to the country's Interior Ministry, a total of 14,652 Russian citizens hold a valid residence permits in Lithuania." KI
"U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited package of "Liberation Day" tariffs on imported goods, speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House on the evening of April 2.The U.S. imposed a basic 10% reciprocal tax on imports from all nations and higher tariff rates on dozens of America's largest trading partners, hitting Cambodia particularly hard with a 49% tariff, Vietnam (46%), Thailand (36%), and 34% on Chinese goods.
A 20% tariff on all goods from European Union countries and 31% on Switzerland.
Ukraine and the United Kingdom get off comparatively lightly with a 10% tariff.
Trump accused other nations of "looting, pillaging, raping and plundering" the US. The tariffs are expected to shave billions off global economic growth.
No tariffs were imposed on Russia and Belarus because, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, no goods from those countries enter the American market." NV
"Four US Army soldiers mysteriously disappeared during a training exercise in Lithuania near the Belarusian border on Tuesday. The Pentagon has yet to confirm their fate, after NATOSecretary-General Mark Rutte triggered confusion by expressing condolences to their families.
The soldiers, from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, were conducting “scheduled tactical training” at the General Silvestras Zukauskas training ground in Pabrade, Lithuania when they went missing, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation.
“The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the four missing US Soldiers were operating during a training exercise has been located in Lithuania,” US Army Europe and Africa said in its latest update on Wednesday.
The armored vehicle “was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area,” but “search efforts for the soldiers continue,” the US military added. The Lithuanian Armed Forces also stated that, at present, “there is no evidence or information confirming the death of the troops.” RT
"U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Belarus are urged to leave the country immediately, according to a U.S. government travel advisory.
“Due to Belarusian authorities’ arbitrary enforcement of local laws and the risk of detention, continued facilitation of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the heightened volatility and unpredictable nature of the regional security environment, do not travel to Belarus,” the advisory states." NV
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