Belarusian opposition backs Ukraine Tsikhanouskaya tells Polish PM

The exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has told Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, that the Belarusian opposition fully supports the Ukrainian authorities in its war against Russian aggressor.

Morawiecki and Tsikhanouskaya, in exile in Lithuania since her defeat in a rigged 2020 presidential election which gave the vote to Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, met in Warsaw on Monday afternoon to talk about the situation in Belarus and the Belarusian authorities' backing of Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, the Prime Minister's office wrote on Twitter.

The talks also focused on the activities of the Belarusian democratic opposition and support for civil society.

At a later press briefing, the Polish government spokesperson, Piotr Mueller, reported that Morawiecki and Tsikhanouskaya also discussed the recent events in Ukraine.

"On the part of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, there is full support for the Ukrainian authorities, which at the moment are bravely defending themselves against the Russian invasion," he said.

Mueller added that the Belarusian opposition had recently played a major role in promoting anti-war sentiment in Belarus.

"As we know, the leaders of the Belarusian opposition from the very beginning emphasise that the eastern area should be an area of peace, and due to their actions... in Belarus there is a conviction among citizens that one should not engage in hostilities," he told reporters.