Kuleba: Ukraine will sever diplomatic relations with Belarus if its troops cross border

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this in an interview with Forbes, Ukrinform reports.

"Belarus is an accomplice in the crime of aggression, and no one throws this issue into question. We severed diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation immediately after the full-scale attack began. They will also be severed with Belarus if the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus cross the Ukrainian border," Kuleba said.

He also noted that Kyiv considered the Belarusian route for the transit of grain to the Baltic countries exclusively as a way of last hope, if no other way would work.

"No one wanted to deal with Minsk, which is an accomplice in aggression, on any trade issues. But logisticians and private investors (in fact, traders) worked very well to expand the possibilities of land routes through EU countries. Progress was made in the negotiations regarding the sea route, so the option of an emergency Belarusian route is no longer on the agenda," the minister said.

Due to Russia's unprovoked aggression in Ukraine, more than 20 million tonnes of grain intended for export, in particular within the World Food Program, turned out to be stuck. This put the world's most vulnerable countries, particularly those in Africa, at risk of hunger.

The EU organized "solidarity lanes" on the border with Ukraine for the export of grain by land, road and rail transport, as well as inland waterways.