Belarus Aids Putin By Bombing Ukraine

Ukraine claimed "heavy shelling" from Belarus, a Russian ally not officially involved in the conflict, on Saturday, June 25, 2022, a day after announcing a retreat from Severodonetsk, Benoit Finck, Blasé Gauquelin, and Anna Malpas reported for Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Photo Insert: A Belarus Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29

Ukraine's northern military command claimed 20 rockets were fired towards the town of Desna in the northern Chernigiv area, damaging infrastructure but causing no injuries.

Belarus has supplied logistical support to Moscow since the February 24 invasion, particularly in the first several weeks, and has been sanctioned with Russia – but is not formally involved in the fight.

"Today's strike is directly linked to Kremlin efforts to pull Belarus as a co-belligerent into the war in Ukraine," Ukraine insisted. Ukraine's Western allies will convene in Germany on Sunday for a G7 summit, where President Volodymyr Zelensky will address.

Next week, U.S. President Joe Biden will visit the G7 and a NATO military summit in Madrid.

Russia's foreign ministry slammed Brussels' decision to grant Ukraine official EU candidate status on Friday as an attempt to "contain Russia" geopolitically.

The decision "confirms that a geopolitical monopolization of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) space is continuing actively in order to contain Russia," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in a statement.

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