Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said his country won’t get pulled into the Ukraine war, but will jointly defend itself with Russia if attacked.
The president made the remarks in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent suggestions that Russian President Vladimir Putin will expand the war by planning offensive operations from Belarus.
Lukashenko on May 22 addressed Zelenskyy’s claims, telling reporters that Minsk will only be drawn into war “if aggression is committed against our territory,” Belarusian state news agency BELTA reported.
“We will defend our Fatherland together from Brest to Vladivostok, where two states are located,” said Lukashenko, with Brest being Belarus’s western-most city and Vladivostok being along Russia’s eastern coast, near the borders with China and North Korea.
“Therefore, if we are drawn into a war, including if it is against Ukraine, only in one case—if they commit aggression against us. We have no intention of getting drawn into a war in Ukraine. There is no need for it, neither civil nor military.”
He said that if Zelenskyy wanted to “talk about something, consult with us, or anything else, please do, we are open to it. I am ready to meet with him anywhere – in Ukraine, in Belarus – and discuss the problems of Belarusian-Ukrainian relations.”
On May 21, Zelenskyy discussed strengthening defenses with officials in northern Ukraine near the Belarusian border.
In his nightly video address, the Ukrainian president said Moscow was “eager to draw Belarus deeper into this war,” saying Kyiv had “the capability to strengthen our defences … and to work preventively.”
Zelenskyy has previously suggested that Belarus could get involved in the war.
In a May 2 post on X, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had observed “rather unusual activity” along sections of the Ukraine–Belarus border on the Belarusian side.
He said that Kyiv was “closely documenting everything and keeping the situation under control. If necessary, we will react.”
“Ukraine is ready to defend its people and its sovereignty,” he said. “Everyone who is being drawn into any aggressive actions against Ukraine must understand this.”
Russian–Belarusian Joint Exercises
Lukashenko made his remarks during joint nuclear exercises with Russia, which he and Putin observed via a video conference.
On May 19, the Russian Defense Ministry began three days of nuclear drills, according to TASS, to practice preparing and deploying nuclear forces amid what it called threats of aggression.
The ministry said the exercises would involve more than 64,000 personnel and more than 7,800 pieces of military equipment, including more than 140 aircraft, 73 ships, and 200 missile launchers. There would also be 13 submarines, among which are eight strategic missile-carrying submarine cruisers, according to the state-run news agency.
Also this week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that the chances of a clash between Russia and NATO are increasing, with a risk of “potentially catastrophic” consequences.
In an interview with TASS published on May 19, Ryabkov highlighted what he called an “escalatory narrative” from Europe about “the looming threat of a high-intensity war” with Russia.
“As a result of this escalation of tensions, including blatantly provocative moves in the nuclear sphere, strategic risks are increasing, as is the danger of a head-on clash between NATO and our country, with potentially catastrophic consequences as a result,” he said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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