French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday warned Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a key Russian ally, against an involvement in Moscow's war against Ukraine, a source close to Macron said. The warning was made during the first reported phone call between the two leaders since the early days of Russia's invasion in February 2022, partly launched from Belarusian territory. Macron "stressed the risks for Belarus of allowing itself to be drawn into Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. "He also urged Alexander Lukashenko to take the necessary steps to improve relations between Belarus and Europe," the source added. A brief readout on the Belarusian presidency's website said that "the heads of state discussed regional issues and Belarus' relations with the EU and with France in particular." The conversation took place "at the initiative of the French side", the readout added. Earlier in May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered troops to reinforce the border with Belarus in the north, claiming Moscow was preparing a new offensive from there. The Kremlin denied that. Russia and its smaller ally Belarus held nuclear drills days ago, on May 18, as Kyiv escalated its drone attacks on Russia. Belarus, which borders NATO's eastern flank, hosts Russia's latest nuclear-capable missile, the Oreshnik. On Sunday, Russia used the ballistic hypersonic missile for the third time in the war against Ukraine, as part of a massive drone and missile barrage that caused widespread destruction across Kyiv.
