Statements by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko this week have reignited fears his army could join Russian forces in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. But the authoritarian leader appears reluctant to lend his troops to the effort.
Lukashenko also said that Kyiv is plotting to attack Belarus — and he cautioned Ukraine against attacking “even one meter of our territory with their dirty hands.” His defense minister, Viktor Khrenin, also warned Ukraine not to provoke Belarus, saying, “We don’t want to fight” and stressing a day later, however, that the joint force is for defense.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday that Lukashenko “should stop helping and supporting the Russian war efforts.”Fears of Russian pressure on Belarus aren’t unfounded. Lukashenko, an authoritarian leader, has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for 28 years while relying on Russia’s political and economic support.
Part of Belarus’ 1,000-kilometer border with northwest Ukraine lies only about 90 kilometers north of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Troops coming from Belarus would likely move west and target cities of Lviv and Lutsk, key transportation hubs for Western military supplies, said Zhdanov, the Ukrainian military analyst.
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