UPDATE 1-Russia accuses Ukraine over Belarus, and dismisses opposition alliance
MOSCOW, Sept 2- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine on Wednesday of fomenting trouble in neighbouring Belarus, and said Moscow saw no point in engaging with a Belarusian opposition council that has emerged amid nationwide anti-government protests. Lavrov, speaking in Moscow after talks with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei,…
MOSCOW, Sept 2 (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov accused Ukraine on Wednesday of fomenting trouble in
neighbouring Belarus, and said Moscow saw no point in engaging
with a Belarusian opposition council that has emerged amid
nationwide anti-government protests.
Lavrov, speaking in Moscow after talks with BelarusianForeign Minister Vladimir Makei, said 200 trained Ukrainianextremists were inside Belarus trying to destabilise it.
The protest erupted after an Aug. 9 presidential electionmarred by allegations of election rigging. Russia is a closeally of Belarus.
Kyiv said the allegations were fictitious.
“Ukraine has not conducted, is not conducting and will notconduct any subversive activities against Belarus,” UkrainianForeign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Facebook.
Kuleba said last week that Kyiv had frozen official contactswith Belarus, and joined the European Union in condemning theelection as neither free nor fair. Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelenskiy called for a new election.
(Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Maria Kiselyova; additionalreporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; writing by Tom Balmforth;Editing by Kevin Liffey)