China News Service, July 3, reported that on July 2, local time, Belarusian President Lukashenko announced that he had ordered the complete closure of the border between Belarus and Ukraine in order to "prevent a large number of weapons" from being imported into Belarus.
Lukashenko said at a meeting to celebrate the National Independence Day, "They have crossed the line, and we cannot forgive them."
He added, "A large number of weapons are being shipped from Ukraine to Belarus, which is why I ordered the border security forces to completely close the border with Ukraine."
The spokesperson of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nikolaenko said that Ukraine has not interfered in Belarus’ internal affairs and does not intend to do so in the future.
It also stated that Ukraine has not yet received an official notification from Belarus on the border closure.
Reuters reported that the move seemed to deepen the deadlock between Belarus and external forces.
According to previous reports, an Irish Ryanair airliner flying from Greece to Lithuania landed on May 23 at the Belarusian capital Minsk airport due to a "bomb threat."
Subsequently, the Belarusian authorities arrested a Belarusian opposition person who was taking the flight.
This move aroused strong criticism from European countries.
Subsequently, Western countries have successively imposed sanctions on Belarus.