"As You Sing, So Shall You Be Sung For": Lukashenko Explains His Sharp Words to Zelensky

Minsk, June 15, 2026 — President Alexander Lukashenko has addressed his earlier harsh statements about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during an interview with the Saudi television channel Al Arabiya, saying he may have “overreacted” but was responding to direct threats.

Lukashenko was asked how his critical remarks toward Zelensky align with his recent proposal for a personal meeting. He explained that his comments came after Zelensky made statements that he considered inappropriate and provocative.

“Perhaps I went too far somewhere, but it was a response to his out-of-place statements: ‘We have 500 targets, we know where Lukashenko is. We will strike tomorrow with missiles and drones,’” Lukashenko said. “I stayed silent. Everyone was even surprised that I remained silent. I understood: the man is under enormous pressure, a young man, inexperienced, not a military person. Maybe something in his head didn’t work right. I stayed silent. But when they started threatening me, I had no choice but to respond.”

Lukashenko added that if Zelensky took offense, he was willing to apologize.

“If Vladimir Alexandrovich was offended, I apologize to him for those words,” the Belarusian leader said. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said them, considering that he is, after all, at war. Maybe I shouldn’t have spoken so sharply. But on the other hand, he should understand — we often say: as you sing, so shall you be sung for.

”Lukashenko advised Zelensky to exercise greater caution.

“Especially since he understands perfectly well that no military action should be expected from Belarus, and especially not from me personally,” he noted. “From the very first days of the war, I offered him ways to reach an agreement and conclude peace. If he had listened to me back in 2022, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today about where to stop — along the current line of contact or by giving up another 13 percent of Donbas that the Russians haven’t yet taken.

”The Belarusian President urged Zelensky to calm down and stop provoking Belarus.“He needs to calm down and accept this as a given: there is no need to provoke me or the Belarusian people,” Lukashenko said. “There are a great many people in Belarus who want peace just as much as he and the Ukrainians do.”