In the war that the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has started against Ukraine, there is another country that seems to play a fundamental role in this conflict: Belarus. But the question, in this case, is: which side is this country on? Is your president, Aleksander Lukashenko, working for the end of the conflict between the two states or is he supporting the military interventions of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory? The truth is that, after six days of armed conflict, its position is still not entirely clearalthough he has hinted at his closeness to Putin.
Publicly, Lukashenko has rejected this Tuesday -and again- the possibility that the Belarusian Army participates in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict: “Our troops have not taken part in the hostilities and will not. We will not participate in the special operation in Ukraine. There is no need for it”, assured the Belarusian leader at the end of a joint meeting of the Security Council and the Council of Ministers. However, he clarified that the western border has been reinforced with five battalions and that he has placed an alert anti-aircraft defenses “to prevent possible attacks from behind against Russian forces”.
“We cannot do it any other way. We always expect provocations from Western partners. Politically, economically and in the military field,” he specified. And along these lines, he has made his position even clearer when stating that the current situation “is a direct consequence of the irrational policy of the West, aimed at imposing its interests and harming the security of others.” Your arguments? “The West’s total disregard for the security system, the balance of the system of checks and balances that were arduously achieved after the collapse of the Soviet Union.”
Despite these statements, Lukashenko has once again assured that they maintain a position in favor of the cessation of hostilities, although with darts: “Even before the start of the military actions, we proposed to the Ukrainian colleagues that they establish direct contact with the We were ready to provide the necessary help for this. But our proposal was ignored“The truth is that Russia and Ukraine held a first round of negotiations on Monday to try to seek a cessation of hostilities in the Belarusian region of Gomel, next to the Ukrainian border.
In fact, this very Tuesday, Lukashenko described to the Russian and Ukrainian negotiators that they met in Pripyat as “great” and has pointed out that “they did more than possible”. Thus, he said he felt “cautiously optimistic” about the results of the talks: “If you tell how we organize these negotiations, it’s quite a thriller,” said the Belarusian president, who has indicated that the parties have agreed to continue dialogue.
Have Belarusian troops entered Ukraine?
In line with what was previously expressed by the Belarusian president, the Ministry of Defense also guaranteed this Monday that its troops are not immersed in any type of special operation in Ukraine and has defended that any movement of your troops is related to the “training plan” of the Army set for this year. Ukraine does not see it that way, however, whose president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has recently accused Belarus of moving against them and carrying out missile launches at Ukrainian cities.
Vitaly Kirillov, representative of the Ukrainian Department of the Northern Defense Forces, has warned that Belarusian troops reportedly entered the Chernigov region against all odds despite Lukashenko’s insistence on staying out of the invasion. At the moment there does not seem to be an official confirmation, although residents of the Slabin, Pakul and Mikhailo-Kotsiubinski areas have reported the movement of troops and military equipment.
It is also reported that a Belarusian military column made up of 33 units would have entered the area with 11 BM-21, also known as ‘Grad’, the soviet multiple launch rocket system. Hours later, the Ukrainian Defense Department has assured through social networks that Russia is preparing a deliberate provocation to justify the introduction of Belarusian troops. “According to available intelligence, there are now about 300 Belarusian tanks near the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.”
Last but not least, it should be noted that Belarus voted this Sunday for a change in its Constitution that paves the way for regaining control over nuclear weapons. On this occasion, Lukashenko also warned the West as he left an electoral headquarters: “If they transfer nuclear weapons to Poland or Lithuania, to our borders, then I will turn to Putin to take back the nukes that I delivered without conditions in 1994″.
Source: Lasexta
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
