Lukashenko outlines joint Belarusian-Russian defence against alleged threat to Belarus

Self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has speculated about alleged aggression against Belarus from Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine and outlined how he and Russia would respond using all available means, including nuclear weapons.

Source: BelTA, a Belarusian state-owned news outlet, citing Lukashenko in an interview with Russian state propagandists

Quote: "My task is to warn my neighbours – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and possibly to some extent Ukraine. May God protect them from aggression against Belarus. We do not want war, we are not planning to fight them."

Details: Lukashenko did not provide any evidence for his claims about supposed "aggression". However, he insisted that it would not be possible to launch an attack on Poland or Lithuania from Belarusian territory. "We have no intention of doing so, unless we are drawn into this war and are forced to respond. We do not want this," he said.

He went on to claim that Russia would join Belarus in the event of "aggression" and that both countries would defend themselves using all available means. "This does not mean that if some kind of confrontation begins there tomorrow, we would immediately respond with nuclear weapons against those countries through which, or from whose territory, aggression against us is carried out. We have enough other weapons to counter this," he said.

"If we see that this threatens the existence of Belarus, then not only we, but also under our agreement with the Russian Federation... it will not end well for them. And we will use everything we have," Lukashenko added.

Background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Belarus is building roads towards the Ukrainian border and setting up artillery positions near Ukraine. He instructed the relevant channels to warn Belarus's de facto leadership that Ukraine stands ready to defend its land and independence. "The nature and consequences of recent events in Venezuela should serve as a warning to the Belarusian leadership against making mistakes," he added.

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