April 17 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukraine believed Russia was making preparations that showed that it would once again try to involve its ally Belarus into the four-year-old war pitting Kyiv against Moscow.
“According to intelligence, road construction in areas leading to Ukraine and the establishment of artillery positions are going on in the Belarusian border area,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, referring to a report from Ukraine’s top commander. “We believe that Russia will once again try to involve Belarus in its war.”
Zelenskiy said Ukraine had issued instructions to warn the Belarusian leadership of “Ukraine’s readiness to defend its land and independence”.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar)
