Belarus denies attack plans amid joint exercises with Russia

Self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov on Friday in Minsk that Belarusian troops are ready for joint military exercises with Russia and "are not going to attack anyone."

Source: Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta 

Quote: "I would like to say that we are ready for the exercises. We are not hiding anything from anyone. We demonstrate openness, showing that these exercises are our military drill and are defensive in nature. We are not going to attack anyone, as some may think. Well, they may think whatever they want. The decision on the exercise has been made at the level of the presidents. We discussed this issue with Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin]," Lukashenko said.

Details: Lukashenko assured Belousov, who arrived in Belarus on Friday, that Russia has no cause for concern regarding the participation of Belarusian troops in the exercises. "We are ready to fly to the training grounds of Russia, according to the plan. We are ready to receive Russian troops here. In order to conduct a joint exercise of our joint force grouping... In this regard, Russia should not have worries," he said.

Background:

• In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia may be "preparing something" in Belarus in the summer of 2025 under the guise of military drills.
• In February, Zelenskyy noted that Russia plans to train 15 divisions consisting of 100,000-150,000 troops to strengthen the Belarusian front in 2025.
• Exercises involving the so-called regional grouping of troops of Belarus and Russia will take place in Belarus in mid-September.

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