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Belarus Ukraine
In 1995 Belarus and Ukraine were on good terms and made
no
territorial claims on each other; their respective
minority
groups have not voiced any complaints of discrimination.
However,
ties between the two countries are weak because of their
different relationships with, and views of, Russia. Unlike
Belarus, Ukraine is determined to be politically and
militarily
independent. Kiev complains that whenever Ukraine
disagrees with
Russia on an issue, Belarus backs the latter.
Perhaps the most important Ukrainian issue for Belarus
is the
Chornobyl' nuclear power plant. Because Belarus suffered
the
effects of the 1986 disaster more than any other country,
it had
a strong interest in the shutdown of the plant. It was
therefore
alarmed by the Ukrainian parliament's December 1993 vote
to keep
the plant running, despite the original plans that called
for
closing it at the end of 1993. Yet Supreme Soviet Chairman
Shushkyevich's appeals to Ukraine, which was in the midst
of an
energy crisis, made little difference.
Data as of June 1995
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