Tsikhanouskaya: there will be no safe Europe without a free Belarus

"It became clear that there will be no safe Ukraine and there will be no safe Europe without a free Belarus," she told attendees at the Warsaw Security Forum.

She said Belarusian opposition members were ready to perform acts of sabotage in Belarus to help Ukraine.

Tsikhanouskaya said Belarusian volunteers had died in Ukraine, fighting against Russian forces.

"We keep our fingers crossed for our military volunteers in Ukraine. 15 lost their lives already," she said.

She urged Ukrainian authorities to establish closer relationships with the Belarusian opposition's United Transitional Cabinet to work on a "common strategy."

Tsikhanouskaya escaped to Lithuania after Russian-backed Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in the Aug. 2020 elections.

Lukashenko accused neighbouring Ukraine on Tuesday (October 4) of sending 15,000 troops to the border area to build defences and conduct reconnaissance, actions that he called "provocations".

He allowed his close ally Russia in February to use Belarus as a staging post for its invasion of Ukraine.

However, he has said Belarus is not a party to the conflict and that its own forces are not involved.

Lukashenko said his country was involved in the conflict only to prevent it spreading into Belarus and to "prevent an attack on Belarus under the guise of a special military operation from Poland, Lithuania and Latvia".