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Belarus: Accomplice in Russia's War Against Ukraine and a Threat to International Security

18.09.2026

On 21 September 2026, Latvia, the European Union, together with Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Sweden and Ukraine, will host a Ministerial Side Event on the margins of the UN General Assembly high-level week, focusing on the threat that Belarus poses to regional and international security.

21 September 2026 - UNGA81 Side Event on Belarus
© European Union

 

Monday 21 September 2026 - 13:30–14:45 

Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations 666 Third Avenue, 31st floor

Light lunch will be available at 13.15

 

Latvia,the European Union, together with Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Sweden and Ukraine, will host a Ministerial Side Event on the margins of the UN General Assembly high-level week, focusing on the threat that Belarus poses to regional and international security.

Background and rationale

More than six years after the 2020 presidential election, Belarus remains in a state of profound crisis. Systemic repression continues. While the recent release of political prisoners is a welcome development, there are no indications of change in the destructive policies of the Lukashenka regime.

Developments in Belarus increasingly extend beyond its borders. The regime poses wider security risks, including hybrid and sub-conventional attacks such as organised migration pressure at the external borders of the European Union, hostile intelligence operations and disinformation. The Belarusian regime seeks to exploit the human rights guarantees upheld by democratic states for its own political purposes. By instrumentalising migrants and attempting to turn these guarantees against the states that uphold them, it itself undermines the international human rights order while openly disregarding its obligations under international law.

Belarus continues to contribute to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and represents a growing challenge to regional stability and international security. It underscores the need for sustained international attention and coordinated responses, including strengthening of sanctions.

Objectives

The side event will examine the current situation in Belarus and its implications for international security. It will explore the links between systemic repression in the country and broader security challenges. The side event calls for sustained international attention to the grave situation in Belarus and the need for coordinated responses.

The discussion will examine:

  • The evolving security implications of the Lukashenka regime’s policies, including the use of transnational repression against Belarusian citizens abroad; 
  • The regional and wider international security dimension, including the implications for European security, the rules-based international order and the capacity of the international community to respond effectively to state-sponsored hybrid and transnational threats;
  • Hybrid and other security threats, including the instrumentalization of migration, disinformation and information manipulation, hostile intelligence activities and other forms of coercive and illicit state behaviour;
  • Transnational repression and the growing use of intimidation, surveillance, threats and other forms of pressure against Belarusian citizens, journalists, activists and democratic representatives outside Belarus;
  • Belarus’s role in Russia’s war against Ukraine, including the provision of territory and infrastructure, military cooperation and other forms of support for Russia’s war effort.
Agenda

13.30: Welcome and opening remarks by EEAS Secretary General, H.E. Kajsa Ollengren

13.35: Opening remarks by H.E. Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Latvia 13.40: Statements by co-sponsors

  • H.E. Andrii Sybiha, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
  • H.E. Kęstutis Budrys, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Lithuania
  • H.E. Alain Berset, Secretary General, Council of Europe
  • H.E. Neale Richmond TD, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Ireland
  • Mr. Martin Roger, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Estonia
  • Mr. Gunnar Aldén, Deputy Director-General for Global Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden 14.05: Briefing by Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian democratic forces

14.15: Mr. Jamie Fly, Chief Executive Officer, Freedom House 14.20: Interactive discussion, Q&A with audience

14.43: Closing remarks: H.E. Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and EEAS Secretary General, H.E. Kajsa Ollengren

14:45: End of event