President Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus, together with Russia, is ready to participate in hostilities in Ukraine only in case of a direct attack from Kiev.
“I am ready to fight together with the Russians from the territory of Belarus until now: if at least one soldier from there comes to the territory of Belarus to kill my people,” he is reported to have said. “Bel TA”.
According to him, if the Ukrainian army attacked, “the response will be the most violent” and “the war will take on a completely different character.”
Lukashenka said Minsk now “provides security” only to the west. And despite the fact that Russia and Belarus have a joint military group, Moscow has never asked “Belarus to start a war against Ukraine”.
“We know what war is. We don’t want war. And in no case will we send troops on Ukrainian territory,” he said. “But if you dare to set foot on our land, your answer will be terrible.”
He also accused the West of wanting to draw Belarus into the conflict. According to him, this would make it possible to extend the front for another 2.5 thousand km, complicating the position of the Russian and Belarusian troops.
“Correct calculation. But it’s empty, stupid. We won’t give you this chance,” said Lukashenka, accusing Western countries of sending troops to Ukraine.
“How many people did Lukashenka send there? How many? None! I do not and will not send people there,” he said.
In October 2022, the Belarusian president said that the republic was involved in a military operation, but his army “did not kill anyone.” In the same month, the presidents of Russia and Belarus agreed to deploy a joint group of regional troops, explaining this by “aggravation on the western borders of the State of the Union.”
Mobilization condition
Lukashenka also said that if Belarus feels threatened, mobilization may be declared in the country.
“This is what it says in the documents, they’re not secret. If we feel the threat of war, we mobilize. “There has been no such threat so far,” he said.
According to him, the size of the Belarusian army in peacetime is 75 thousand people, but in wartime conditions it can be increased to half a million in several stages if necessary.
“We are preparing for war to ensure that there is no aggression against us,” Lukashenka stressed that Belarusians should “live in peace” and “mind their own business”.
Earlier, the president assured that there will be no mobilization in Belarus, and all reports of preparations for mobilization are fake. According to him, the purpose of such publications is to increase tension in the country.
“They were attacked from Belarusian territory in the first minutes”
Answering a question from BBC correspondent Steve Rosenberg, Lukashenko said that even before Russia declared a military operation, the Ukrainian army was preparing an attack with multiple launch rocket systems on Belarusian territory.
“You say ‘invasion.’
At the same time, Lukashenka admitted that she did not know why Ukraine should attack.
“In the first minutes they were attacked from the territory of Belarus. “We are a few minutes away from the start of a special military operation,” he said.
He recalled the Minsk agreements and said that “then it was necessary to agree with Russia about the absence of this war.”
“Let’s sit down and solve the whole problem”
The President of Belarus also invited the American leader Joe Biden to Minsk to hold a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The three of us will meet here: two ‘aggressive’ and a ‘peace-loving’ president. From where? To end the war. And here, in your presence, the three of us will sit down and solve the whole problem,” said Lukashenka.
He urged to negotiate peace “as long as this aggression does not expand”. “You are just not ready, if peace negotiations start now it will be a terrible tragedy and disaster for you. You need a war,” said Lukashenka, referring to Western politicians.
He expressed confidence that “an incredible deal” with Russia is possible, but preconditions for negotiations cannot be set.
“It seems fair once they’ve set preconditions, such as leaving the lands you have captured, but in this case it means they don’t want to sit at the negotiating table,” says the head of state.
At the same time, he reminded that any military conflict ends with the signing of a peace treaty.
“Now there are more favorable conditions for Ukraine. End this war and move on. And here everyone will support Ukraine. And I will be the first,” the President promised.
At the same time, he expressed the opinion that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “destroyed Ukraine”, that is, “no one can bring the country back after the conflict is over.” The Belarusian president also warned the Ukrainian president against “repeating the fate of Gorbachev”. According to him, “leaders who were applauded and applauded in the West have had a bad end.”
Lukashenka spoke to reporters ahead of her meeting with Vladimir Putin on February 17. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the meeting will be held at Putin’s residence in Novo-Ogaryovo.