Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated that allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags at the 2026 Paralympic Games is "wrong – from both a moral and political perspective."

“The decision to admit Russia and Belarus under national symbols ignores a simple truth: these flags and anthems represent regimes that wage aggression, destroy cities, and weaponize sport for propaganda. They cannot be separated from the crimes committed under them. In today’s Russia, even Paralympic sport has been used to glorify participants in the war against Ukraine,” he said on X.

Sybiha noted that giving such a system a prestigious international platform sends a dangerous signal that responsibility can be relegated to the background.

“I have instructed Ukraine’s ambassadors to engage with officials in their host countries and urge them not to attend the Opening Ceremony if this disgraceful decision is not reversed,” the minister stressed.