West is Pushing Ukraine Towards War with Belarus — Lukashenko

Alexander Lukashenko stressed that the latest events on the Crimean bridge indicated a significant increase in the level of terrorist threat

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Sergei Bobylev/TASS

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MINSK, October 10. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that it would be absolutely senseless for Ukraine to open a second front on the Belarusian border, but the West is pushing it towards starting such a war.

"I have already said that Ukraine today it is not just discussing but planning strikes on Belarusian territory. Of course, the Ukrainians absolutely do not need this. Well, why should they open a second front on our southern borders - on their northern ones? From the military point of view this is madness," the BelTA news agency quotes Lukashenko as saying at a meeting on security issues.

"Nevertheless, the process has begun. They are being pushed by their patrons towards unleashing a war against Belarus in order to drag us into it and to deal with Russia and Belarus simultaneously."

Lukashenko recalled that he had warned about the threats on the western border at the very beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. He promised that Belarus would not permit anyone to stab the Russian forces in the back.

"I was very well aware then that the most dangerous direction for us is the western one. If we had left it unprotected, a war would be on our doorstep today. But we preferred to keep our armed forces there. Moreover, we strengthened the western direction," Lukashenko said.

He stressed that the latest events on the Crimean bridge indicated a significant increase in the level of terrorist threat.

"They are ready to fight with everyone now," Lukashenko added.

Belarus, Russia begin deploying joint group of forces, says Lukashenko

As the Belarusian leader said, Russia is now pre-occupied with its own problems to deal with this new conflict

MINSK, October 10. /TASS/. Belarus and Russia are beginning to deploy a joint regional group of forces, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday.

The Belarusian leader said that he had held a tete-a-tete meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after an informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg.

"In the wake of escalations on the western borders of the Union State, we agreed on deploying a regional group of forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. All these moves are consistent with our documents," the BelTA news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying at a meeting with defense and security officials.

"Now that the level of danger has reached this point, we will begin deploying a group of forces of the Union State," he said.

The Belarusian armed forces are the backbone of this contingent, Lukashenko said. "I must inform you that the deployment of this group has begun. It has been in progress for two days already, I believe. My order was given for us to start forming this group," Lukashenko said.

As the Belarusian leader said, Russia is now pre-occupied with its own problems to deal with this new conflict.

"A second conflict is what we do not need. As you know, they have their own problems now. That is why, do not count on a large number [from the contingent] of the Russian Armed Forces but this group will number more than one thousand-strong," Lukashenko said, addressing the defense minister.

"Be ready in the near future to take these people and put them where they need to be, according to our plan, without overdoing it and inflaming the situation," the Belarusian leader said.

NATO mulling options to carry out aggression against Minsk, Belarusian president says

Alexander Lukashenko stressed that the West keeps arguing that the Belarusian army will directly engage in the special military operation in Ukraine

MINSK, October 10. /TASS/. The leader of NATO and some European countries are considering options to carry out aggression against Belarus, up to conducting a nuclear attack, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting on security issues on Monday.

"The situation around Belarus, as we have already said, remains tense. One of the reasons is that the West keeps arguing that the Belarusian army will directly engage [in Russia’s] special military operation in Ukraine. Having been influenced by such bogus stories, the military and political leader of the North Atlantic Alliance and a number of European countries are now openly considering options to carry out aggression against our country, up to conducting a nuclear strike," the BelTA news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying.

He noted that it was no news for the Belarusian authorities. "I warned you a long time ago that their goal today is not to prevent us from fighting on the Russian side directly in Ukraine, to prevent, God forbid, a nuclear strike and so on. That’s not the main thing. The main goal, which has remained unchanged since the start, is to drag us into war and do away with Russia and Belarus all together," Lukashenko stressed.