Belarus and Russia are somehow allied, but ruler Lukashenko values independence. Now he emphasizes: his country does not want to go to war, there is only one exception. But then the war would be "a completely different one."
According to ruler Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus would only join the Russian offensive in Ukraine if it was first attacked by Ukraine. "I am ready to fight together with the Russians from Belarusian territory only in one case: if even one soldier from Ukraine comes to our territory to kill my people," Lukashenko said at a press conference for foreign journalists in Minsk .
Should there be aggression against his country, it would be reacted to with all severity. "The war would be completely different." According to Belta, Lukashenko says he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. The government in Moscow has never asked Belarus to enter the war.
Minsk is closely allied with Moscow. In recent months, fears have increased that Belarus could enter the Ukraine conflict and fight alongside Moscow. The country had already allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a launch pad for last year's Ukraine offensive.
In October, Belarus announced the formation of a joint regional force with Russia; several thousand Russian soldiers had arrived in Belarus. In mid-January, the two countries began joint air force military exercises. In December, the G7 group of important industrial nations threatened Belarus with severe sanctions if it intervened actively in the Ukraine conflict.
