Belarus would join the offensives in Ukraine, according to President Alexander Lukashenko, “only if assaulted” first by the army of Kiev, he declared on Thursday.
At a rare press appearance with foreign media in Minsk, the experienced strongman said, “I’m ready to fight alongside the Russians from the territory of Belarus in one circumstance only: if so much as one soldier from (Ukraine) comes to our land with a gun to kill my people.”
“This applies to our other neighbours,” Lukashenko said. “If they commit an aggression against Belarus, our response will be the most cruel. The most cruel!”
Last February, Minsk gave permission for the Kremlin to use the nation as a base for its military operation against Kiev.
Despite the fact that Belarus continues to host an unspecified number of Russian troops, Lukashenko has vowed to keep his estimated 60,000–70,000 strong army from crossing into Ukraine on the southern border.
Despite Lukashenko’s repeated assurances, worries have grown that his soldiers would also step in.
Nevertheless, the veteran leader reportedly stated, “I do not plan to deploy my people, my army (there),” which saddened Lukashenko.
Moreover, worries have grown that Belarus would declare a mobilization a la Russia.
But he did say Minsk was testing some of its mobilisation abilities and was taking into account Russian blunders in their drive.
“It will not be tomorrow. But we need to be ready if anything,” he said.
Putin and Lukashenko were supposed to meet on Friday.
He said they would talk about a joint regional force that had been announced in October and that had also seen the arrival of several thousand Russian personnel in the former Soviet country.
According to Lukashenko, he requested a second Russian division that would report to him from Putin.
