«The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus deeply regrets Ukraine’s decision to terminate the bilateral intergovernmental agreement on prompt notification of a nuclear accident and cooperation in the field of radiation safety,» Ruslan Varankov said. «The Belarusian side has not received official notification of this decision through diplomatic channels, whereas under the terms of the agreement, it will cease to be in force six months after such notification is received.»

The press secretary noted that this step would not abolish cooperation as such. Belarus and Ukraine remain parties to the 1986 Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, which continues to be in force in full. In addition, official notification mechanisms through the IAEA remain in place. 

«However, the bilateral format is not simply a duplication of the convention. It is a more prompt, specific, and predictable way of interacting. The most tangible things that will be lost along with the agreement are early warning, a direct round-the-clock communication channel, and the annual exchange of data on the safety of nuclear facilities,» Ruslan Varankov explained.

According to him, it is especially telling that such a decision is being taken by Ukraine, a state that, like Belarus, suffered colossal losses from Chernobyl and, one would think, should understand better than others the price of delayed information.

«Kiev cannot but realize that it is undermining the protection of its own citizens, sacrificing them to short-term political expediency that has nothing to do with radiation safety,» the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press secretary emphasized. «Radiation risk knows no state borders and does not divide people into friends and strangers. When it comes to timely notification, monitoring data, and forecasts of the spread of a release, the count is in hours, and sometimes even in minutes.»

Ruslan Varankov noted that under these conditions, any gap in prompt interaction will turn into a potential threat to the life and health of ordinary people on both sides of the border.