Ambassador to Belarus for the first time to assess "the new reality" and prospects of further bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries. Belarus returned detained contractors (whom Lukashenko said were part of the Wagner Group) to Russia, coming in defiance of Ukrainian calls to send those who were detained to Ukraine to be prosecuted for their role in the War in Donbass. In a meeting with member of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada Yevgeniy Shevchenko in April 2021, Lukashenko criticized former Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk for suggesting that Minsk be removed as a host in the Normandy Format as a result of the protests. In response to the forced diversion of Ryanair Flight 4978 by the Belarusian government in May 2021, Ukraine banned Belarusian airlines from operating in Ukrainian airspace. In addition, Ukraine joined the European Union in imposing sanctions on Belarusian officials. In response to Ukraine, Belarus imposed new trade barriers on a variety of Ukrainian goods entering Belarus. In February 2022, Russian troops invaded Ukraine from Belarus. Belarus has also stated that Russian nuclear weapons will be on Belarusian soil. Diplomatic visits From Ukraine to Belarus Petro Poroshenko (Minsk, 2014) Petro Poroshenko (Minsk, 2015) Petro Poroshenko (Gomel, 2018) From Belarus to Ukraine Alexander Lukashenko (Kyiv, 2004) Alexander Lukashenko (Kyiv, 2009) Alexander Lukashenko (Kyiv, 2017) Alexander Lukashenko (Zhytomyr, 2019) Resident diplomatic missions Belarus has an embassy in Kyiv. Ukraine has an embassy in Minsk and a consulate-general in Brest. See also Foreign relations of Belarus Foreign relations of Ukraine Belarus–Ukraine border Belarusians in Ukraine Belarusian involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Monument to the Belarusians who died for Ukraine References External links Belarusian embassy in Kyiv (Ukrainian-language link) Belarusian embassy in Kyiv (Russian-language link) Ukrainian embassy in Minsk (in Russian and Ukrainian only) Belarus and Ukraine cooperate in the face of Russian pressure Belarus Digest Ukraine Bilateral relations of Ukraine