Lukashenko says he warned Ukraine not to drag Belarus into war
by Mark Trevelyan
June 25 (Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday he had warned Ukraine against trying to drag his country into war amid rising tensions.
As Moscow’s forces struggle to advance and Ukraine rains down drones on targets far inside Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly claimed that Moscow wants to bring Belarus more into the Russian fold.
He upped the ante last week by threatening to disable signal relay stations in Belarus that he said helped Russian drones hit Ukraine. He said on Wednesday the stations had stopped operating, although there was no independent confirmation.
Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in televised comments that Zelenskiy’s representatives were recently in Minsk.
LUKASHENKO: BELARUS DOES NOT WANT TO WAR WITH THE UKRAINIANS
“I told them clearly: ‘Guys, tell your president: if he thinks that he can talk to us like this and drag us into a war, then he needs to understand that the nature of the war will change instantly,'” Lukashenko said, adding that Belarus has no desire to fight the Ukrainians.
“We got an answer: The president and his team understand this. So let’s come to an agreement, guys. We need to come to a substantive agreement.”
There has been no comment yet from Kiev regarding Lukashenko’s words.
Writing on Telegram after meeting with foreign intelligence chief Oleh Luhovskyi, Zelenskiy repeated his earlier comments that Belarus was improving roads in border areas and establishing facilities for storing ammunition and fuel.
“Belarus knows what steps need to be taken for peace,” he wrote. “The development of border infrastructure for aggression from Belarus must be stopped.”
Belarus is strategically important for all parties as it is closely allied with Moscow and shares borders with Russia, Ukraine and three NATO countries.
This importance was further demonstrated last year when the United States re-engaged with Lukashenko after years of avoiding contact with him and began easing sanctions against Belarus in exchange for the release of political prisoners.
But political analysts doubt that the United States may succeed in driving a wedge between Lukashenko and Putin, given Belarus’ dependence on its much larger neighbor.
KREMLIN REJECTS PRESSURE ON BELARUS TO EXPAND THE WAR
The Kremlin on Thursday denied a Wall Street Journal report that Russia wants to use Belarus as a springboard to step up attacks on Ukraine and threatened to cut off financial support if it refuses.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the report “does not correspond to reality” and that Belarus is “our closest ally”.
Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said that it was the West that increased tensions.
In his speech to the graduating officers, he said, “The situation at our borders is extremely unstable and escalating. Beyond our borders, NATO troop formations are being strengthened, infrastructure is being developed, the military budgets of neighboring states are expanding, and politicians are making sharp militarist statements.” he said.
“Efforts are continuing to prolong or even expand the hot conflict started by the West in Ukraine. Today, we are acutely aware of a blatant attempt to drag Belarus into war.”
European states strongly reject claims that they are responsible for the war in Ukraine, where Russia is launching an all-out invasion in 2022.
RUSSIA NEEDS BELARUS REFINERIES
Although Lukashenko did not send Belarusian soldiers to fight on Russia’s side, he allowed Putin to use Belarus as a launching pad to invade Ukraine and later agreed to allow Russia to deploy tactical nuclear missiles on Belarusian territory.
Belarus also conducts frequent joint military exercises with Russia and allows Moscow to use its bases and training areas.
While Moscow is the dominant partner, it also relies on Belarus, which has two large refineries, to process Russian oil and sell gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to Russia.
This supply cycle has become increasingly important this year as Ukraine intensified its attacks on oil refineries in Russia, causing widespread fuel shortages.
(Additional reporting by Dmitry Antonov in Moscow and Maxim Rodionov in London; Writing by Mark Trevelyan, Editing by Ron Popeski, Rod Nickel)
