Ginzburg, Boris (2026): Walk, Don’t Run: A Cautious Reassessment of the Zelenskyy-Tsikhanouskaya Meeting in Vilnius in Light of Israel’s Second Iran-War. In PSCRP BESA Reports No 195 (Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies). Online: https://besacenter.org/walk-dont-run-a-cautious-reassessment-of-the-zelenskyy-tsikhanouskaya-meeting-in-vilnius-in-light-of-israels-second-iran-war/

Summary
Several international media outlets have euphorically portrayed the first official meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Vilnius on January 25, 2026, as a fundamental moral shift in Kyiv’s stance toward the Belarusian opposition – from strategic distance to meaningful cooperation. Several interpretations presented the alleged motives behind Ukraine’s adapted policy toward the Belarusian dissidents, while ignoring the argumentative weak spots within them. This analysis reassesses the so-called “first official” Zelenskyy-Tsikhanouskaya Meeting and it presents interpretations not mentioned yet in the public discourse: these include Ukraine’s motives to (1) strengthen the pro-European branch of the Belarusian opposition in exile, (2) gain leverage in negotiations with Washington, (3) promote Ukraine’s fast-track EU accession, and (4) Ukrainian domestic politics. These developments can affect Israel’s security policies especially during its ongoing second war with the Mullah Regime in Tehran and even afterwards.