On Belarus Independence Day, July 3, 2025, Ukrainian border guards placed a poster at the border showing a caricature of Vladimir Putin being kicked off Belarusian territory. The caption read: "Defend your homeland's sovereignty!"
The next day, Grigoriy Azarenok responded to the message by accusing Ukraine of relying on the United States. As proof, he showed a photograph.
"Please show us the 2014 photograph. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. The Cabinet of Ministers is being chaired by the secretary of state — at that time, Biden — from a foreign country. Can you imagine Putin coming to Belarus, gathering our Cabinet of Ministers, sitting at the head of the table, and telling everyone what to do?" the host asked on the program Azarenok. Directly on CTV channel.
The photo does show Joe Biden seated at a table in the main chamber of the Verkhovna Rada, with the Ukrainian flag and parliamentary logos in the background. Across from him sit Ukrainian politicians in business suits. However, this is not a Cabinet of Ministers meeting, as Azarenok claims.
The WTF team found that the photo was taken on April 22, 2014, during a meeting between Biden, then U.S. vice president, and leaders of parliamentary factions and groups in the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv. Ukrainian politicians discussed the need to impose sanctions against Russia, and the American vice president expressed support for planned reforms.
Alexander Lukashenko has also met with foreign parliamentarians. In March of this year, he delivered a speech in the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament.