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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Belarus on Friday against joining new Russian military operations and pledged additional retaliatory strikes on Russia after a missile attack on Kyiv killed 24 people, including three children.
"We know that additional contacts have taken place between the Russians and Aleksandr Lukashenko, aimed at persuading him to join new Russian aggressive operations," Zelenskyy wrote on X.
He added that Russia was considering military operations from Belarusian territory toward Ukraine’s Chernihiv-Kyiv direction or potentially against a NATO member state, warning that Ukraine would respond if Belarus backed Moscow’s plans.
Zelenskyy also pledged additional retaliatory measures against Russia after a Russian missile strike on Kyiv killed 24 people, including three children, according to Ukrainian officials.
He said Ukraine would continue targeting Russia’s oil industry, military production facilities and individuals accused of war crimes, arguing that the measures were already having a "tangible impact."
Kyiv has also intensified long-range sanctions and drone operations as Russia continued daily missile and drone attacks across Ukraine. A Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian city of Ryazan earlier Friday reportedly killed four people, including a child.
"Ukraine will not allow any of the aggressor's strikes that take the lives of our people to go unpunished," Zelenskyy stated.
The Ukrainian leader further claimed that intelligence documents indicated Russia was preparing additional missile and drone strikes against Ukraine, including attacks targeting what Moscow calls "decision-making centers," referring to political institutions and military command sites.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had already taken the information into account and stressed that Ukrainians remained committed to defending the country’s sovereignty.
U.S-led diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled in recent months as Moscow rejected a ceasefire and broader negotiations unless Ukraine accepted Russia’s demands.
"Russia must end its war and negotiate a dignified peace, rather than searching for new ways to intimidate Ukraine," Zelenskyy said, calling on the Kremlin to end the conflict.
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