Kremlin accuses Ukraine of threatening sovereignty of close Russian ally Belarus

The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of threatening Belarus' sovereignty after Kyiv gave Minsk a week to remove signal relay stations allegedly used by Russia to guide attacks on Ukraine.

​The Kremlin on Monday ‌accused Ukraine of ​threatening the sovereignty of close Russian ally Belarus after Kyiv gave Minsk a ‌week to remove signal relay stations it said were being used to help guide Russian attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on ‌Friday that a week should be enough for Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko ‌to remove the equipment, which he said was being used by Russia in its attacks on Ukraine, adding a threat of Ukrainian action if Lukashenko ⁠did ​not do ⁠so. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander ⁠Lukashenko were expected to discuss Zelenskiy's remarks "in the foreseeable future".

"As for the threat ​itself, of course, it is utterly aggressive: interference in the ⁠internal affairs of another country and an encroachment on another country’s sovereignty," Peskov ⁠told ​reporters. "But we have no doubt whatsoever that the Belarusian leadership, and Belarus itself, are capable of safeguarding their sovereignty.”

Russian forces ⁠used Belarusian territory to enter Ukraine in February 2022, but Minsk - which ⁠hosts Russian ⁠tactical nuclear weapons - has not committed its own troops and has said it has no plans to ‌join ‌the war.