Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, issued a statement on his official website to mark Ukraine’s formal celebration of its independence.
“I am convinced that today’s contradictions will not be able to destroy the centuries-old foundation of sincere good-neighborly relations between the peoples of the two countries,” Lukashenko said.
Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine and Russia, has sided with Moscow in the conflict. Throughout the invasion, Lukashenko has allowed Putin’s military to use his country’s territory to wage its war—and as recently as last month, Russian troops fired missiles into Ukraine from Belarus.
“Belarus will continue to stand for the preservation of harmony, the development of friendly mutually respectful contacts at all levels,” Lukashenko said.
The statement added that the Belarusian state “wished the Ukrainians a peaceful sky, tolerance, courage, strength and success in restoring a decent life.”
Ukraine marks 31 years since it became independent from the former Soviet Union on Wednesday and the day also falls exactly six months after Russia launched its invasion, which it called a “special military operation.”
Ukraine has raised fears of a Russian attack on its Independence Day with President Volodymyr Zelensky warning of the possibility of “repugnant Russian provocations.”
Lukashenko’s decision to congratulate Ukraine on its independence comes amid concerns that Belarus could potentially join the war in support of Russia. The U.S. has criticized Lukashenko’s government for allowing Russia to use Belarus as a staging area for the war.
“The regime has set aside what should be Belarus’ own sovereignty and independence and in a way, its territorial integrity by permitting Russia’s forces on to—again what should be sovereign Belarusian soil—to launch a brutal, premeditated, unjustified attack against its neighbor to the south,” Ned Price, spokesperson for the State Department, said this month.
Zelensky warned Belarusians in June not to allow Putin to drag their country into his war against Ukraine. “You are being drawn into the war. The Kremlin has already decided everything for you,” Zelensky said in a video address. “But you are not slaves and cannon fodder. You don’t have to die.”
And in July, an aide to Zelensky said Ukraine was preparing for attacks from Belarus. Denys Monastyrskyi, Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, told a local newscast that law enforcement agencies were ramping up measures to prevent attacks near the Belarus border.
Belarus may also have been drawn into the war as a target. A military airfield in Belarus where Russian aircraft are said to be stationed was reportedly hit by explosions this month, although the Belarusian Defense Ministry denied any blasts had taken place.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday ahead of Ukraine’s independence day that Russia would have to return Crimea to Ukraine under international law.
“The return of Crimea to Ukraine, of which it is an inseparable part, is essentially a requirement of international law,” Erdogan told the Second Crimea Platform Summit in a video message.
“Turkey does not recognize the annexation of Crimea and has been openly stating since the first day that this step is illegitimate and illegal. This is a principled stance that has not only legal but also moral foundations,” the Turkish president said.
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and the government of Ukraine has never recognized that annexation.
Erdogan has sought to position himself as a partner to Putin and also a potential peacemaker in Ukraine
Putin is unlikely to offer his congratulations to Ukraine despite Lukashenko’s statement. However, he previously congratulated the country on its independence back in 2007, citing “centuries of spiritual and cultural ties and inseparable friendly and neighborly relations.”
Update 8/24/22 6:27 a.m. EDT: This article was updated with additional context.
