‘Alternative History’ from Belarusian State TV vs. Reality: Case of Belarus–Ukraine Regional Forum

Despite the benefits of cooperation with Belarusian regions, Ukrainian authorities who came to power after the 2014 Maidan were forced to break it off. This conclusion was reached by both Andrei Krivosheev and Ivan Eismont, the heads of the BUJ and the Belarusian Television and Radio Company, on the “Club of Editors” program on the state-run TV Belarus-1 on June 28, 2024.

“Remember, we held a Forum of regions with Ukraine? And then the new Ukrainian authorities, who came to power after the coup [in 2014 — ed.], complained that due to interregional cooperation between Belarusian and Ukrainian regions, it was difficult for them to impose sanctions against us and break off ties. Because it's harder to break the connection between Gomel and Chernihiv, or others than between Kyiv and Minsk,” Krivosheev said.

“That means it was advantageous for Ukraine and its regions, or they wouldn't have been doing it. But it wasn't very advantageous for our overseas friends... and we know that Ukraine, unfortunately, is not an independent country,” Ivan Eismont, chairman of Belarusian TV, added.

The Forums of Belarus and Ukraine regions arose long after the 2014 Maidan. The first one took place in 2018 under Petro Poroshenko. The second one took place in 2019 under Volodymyr Zelensky.

The third forum was scheduled for autumn 2020, but protests began in Belarus after the presidential elections, and Ukraine did not recognize Aleksandr Lukashenko as the legitimate president. After that, official Kyiv proposed to take a break and postpone the forum to the following year. In 2021, Belarusian authorities forcibly landed a Ryanair plane on Belarusian territory, which provoked an increase in sanctions. Therefore, the third forum never took place.