The French Foreign Ministry called on its citizens to leave Belarus because of the fighting in Ukraine. This follows from messagespublished on the website of the department on February 13.
“The French, who are on the territory of Belarus, are invited to leave the country without delay by road through Lithuania, Poland or Latvia,” the message says.
The ministry noted that “any trips to Belarus are strictly not recommended” in the context of Russia’s actions in Ukraine and the closure of Belarusian airspace. Also, the French Foreign Ministry said that citizens wishing to fly out of the country should request an exit visa from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus.
In October 2022, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko stated that the country was participating in a Russian special operation in Ukraine, but was not sending its military there. According to him, the essence of Belarus’ participation in the Russian special operation in Ukraine is to provide treatment and food for refugees who “arrive 400-500 people a day from Ukraine.” In July of the same year, Lukashenko said that Minsk did not seek to be drawn into the conflict in Ukraine, but would fight if there was an invasion of Belarusian territory.
Earlier, on February 12, the US Embassy in Moscow urged American citizens to leave Russia promptly and refrain from traveling to the state. The diplomatic mission explained this by the risk of “unpredictable consequences”, allegedly refusing Americans with dual citizenship to leave the country and depriving them of the opportunity to receive consular assistance.
Russia’s special operation to protect Donbass began on February 24. The decision to hold it was made against the background of the aggravated situation in the region due to the increased shelling of Ukrainian troops.
