“Military risks and threats are escalating on the western borders of the CSTO, and Western politicians are “purposefully preparing for war,” Alexander Lukashenko said in Bishkek at the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.”
Павялічыць
Alexander Lukashenko. Photo: Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
“Military risks and threats are increasing along the perimeter of the CSTO borders, especially on the western flank of the organization, where it would seem that an adequate and stable situation should be maintained. The situation is similar to a besieged fortress in which Belarus lives today,” Lukashenko said.
He noted that the total defense spending of NATO countries in 2025 will be about $1.6 trillion. Germany intends to seriously increase military spending. Poland, in turn, will allocate almost $55 billion for defense in 2026 (about 5% of GDP) and will become the leader of NATO in this indicator. The number of its armed forces has already exceeded 200 thousand people, he says. The Baltic countries are not far behind Warsaw in terms of growth.
“All of the above, combined with aggressive rhetoric, indicates that Western politicians are deliberately preparing for war. It is not we, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin], who are preparing for war, but according to all the facts – they are,” the co-aggressor addressed the initiator of the war against Ukraine.