Citizens of Belarus are allowed to cross into the territory of Ukraine out of humanitarian considerations, but the Ukrainian government will not allow any attempts by Belarus or Russia intelligence agencies to exploit the country's openness for provocations.
That's according to Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who spoke at a joint press conference in Madrid with Arancha Gonzalez Laya, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, on Thursday, September 10, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
In assessing the Belarus developments, Ukraine shares the position voiced by the European Union, Kuleba noted.
"Amid crisis in Belarus, Ukraine is trying to provide maximum support to the people of Belarus. That's why the citizens of Belarus [...] can freely enter the territory of Ukraine for humanitarian reasons. At the same time, we do not allow attempts [...] by the intelligence services of Belarus or Russia to exploit our openness to pursue with their provocations," the top diplomat stressed.
At difficult times, Kuleba stressed, the Ukrainian people support, and will support the people of Belarus.
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The statement comes amid earlier reports that the Belarusian security agency, which has retained its Soviet name KGB, abducted and then allegedly attempted to throw one of the Belarusian opposition leaders, Maria Kolesnikova, out of the country before she tore her passport at the border, thus thwarting the plot.
At the same time, two other opposition activists, Anton Rodnenkov and Ivan Kravtsov, were told, also by security services, to leave country. They arrived in Ukraine on September 8.
Kolesnikova later resurfaced at a Minsk detention center where she is being held on charges of destabilization threatening national security.
