What Lukashenko said about his talks with Putin<\/p>\n
Responding to a question about a possible new offensive against Ukraine from Belarusian territory, Lukashenko assured that he had discussed a completely different issue with the Kremlin leader.<\/p>\n
According to him, they had allegedly “many times discussed the fact that it is absolutely unacceptable for the war between Ukraine and Russia to spill over onto Belarusian territory.”<\/p>\n
Lukashenko quoted the Kremlin leader directly.<\/p>\n
“We understand that Belarus entering the war, the conflict, in any capacity is unacceptable. It would bring more harm than benefit,” he quoted Putin as saying.<\/p>\n
Three reasons not to go to war<\/p>\n
Lukashenko named several reasons why Belarus allegedly will not enter the war.<\/p>\n
The first is military vulnerability. According to him, Belarus is “fully exposed” to the Ukrainian military, and its key infrastructure is under threat.<\/p>\n
“Our main life-support facilities \u2014 industrial and logistics facilities \u2014 would come under attack. As they have stated, they already have 500 such targets designated on the territory of Belarus,” he said.<\/p>\n
The second is the people’s unwillingness to fight, as many military personnel would be killed.<\/p>\n
The third is the expansion of the front line.<\/p>\n
“For Russia, first and foremost, if it attacked Kyiv from Belarusian territory, the front line would increase by 1,500 kilometers of the Belarus-Ukraine border,” Lukashenko explained.<\/p>\n
He added that Belarusians and Russians would not be able to ensure the protection of this section under the current conditions of the war.<\/p>\n
Risk of war with NATO<\/p>\n
Separately, the leader warned about the risk of the conflict expanding. In his words, if an attack were launched from Belarusian territory, NATO could deploy its troops to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
“And this war would take on a new character. It would be a war between Belarus and Russia against the NATO bloc,” he said.<\/p>\n
Is there a threat to Ukraine?<\/p>\n
Responding to the question, Lukashenko assured that Ukraine has “absolutely nothing” to fear from Belarus.<\/p>\n
“And they know it, and the military knows it. The people of Ukraine know it. This issue is being fueled because of certain political ambitions,” he added.<\/p>\n
Threat from Belarus<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that Russia is considering several scenarios for expanding the war, including the involvement of Belarus.<\/a><\/p>\n Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service said the 1,085-kilometer border with Belarus remains under control and is<\/a> heavily fortified<\/a>.<\/p>\n