23 September 2020, Wednesday, 17:49 106

Ukraine Will Hold Urgent Meeting To Determine Its Position On Lukashenko’s Legitimacy Following His Secret Inauguration – Kuleba

Даша Зубкова

Ukraine will hold an urgent meeting to determine its position on the legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko following his secret inauguration as the president of Belarus.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced this in a response to questions from reporters at a joint news briefing with Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjártó in Zakarpattia region, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.

“The inauguration was secret. Not a single foreign ambassador was invited to this inauguration, not even the Russian Federation, a union state that fully supports Lukashenko. Ukraine's position is very clear: the elections in Belarus were not free, fair, and transparent. Regarding the assessment of the inauguration and the political status of the President Lukashenko, we will now urgently hold additional meetings and consultations to determine our position," he said.

The Belarusian Presidential Administration announced on Wednesday that Lukashenko's inauguration ceremony had taken place.

The event was not announced or broadcast live.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Belarus held a presidential election on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission, the turnout in the election was 84% and incumbent President Lukashenko, who has headed the country since 1994, won more than 80% of the votes.

Hundreds of thousands of people continue to protest in Belarus. Tens of thousands have been detained during clashes with law enforcement officers, resulting in injuries and deaths.