National Security and Defence Council and Chief Intelligence Directorate comment on Putin and Lukashenko’s tete-a-tete conversation
The Ukrainian government believes that at their meeting in Minsk on 19 December, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was trying to convince Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to send Belarusian Armed Forces into Ukraine.
Source: Secretary of National Security and Defence Council (RNBO) Oleksii Danilov and Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine official Andrii Yusov on air on national television
Danilov Quote: "Putin demands a direct intervention of Belarusian Armed Forces into the war with our country. According to what we understand and the information we possess, neither Lukashenko, nor the citizens of Belarus are very enthusiastic about the idea.
But the Russians will now be doing everything in their power to force Lukashenko into the conflict. What kind of agreement they came to, we shall see very soon. We are ready for any development of the situation."
Details: Danilov reiterated that on Sunday 18 December the situation in Belarus was discussed at the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief: "We understand what is happening at the moment, what we ought to prepare for."
The RNBO Secretary also stated that it was the first time in three years when Putin visited Lukashenko personally; until this moment it was the Belarusian leader who visited the Russian Federation most of the time.
Yusov Quote: "If we are speaking about such a level of tet-a-tet meetings between the two dictators, it is hard to imagine that they mark the positions on the map of Europe, Belarus and Europe with potatoes, discussing which battalion will attack what. No.
If there was a concrete preparation for a military operation, the level would have been completely different - let’s say, a meeting between General Staffs of the armed forces. If it is Putin that travels personally to meet his counterpart, this means that everything is not going as good as he would want it to be. This is what we need to understand.
But it is possible that he will try to convince Lukashenko. And, undoubtedly, this is one of Putin’s dreams, to force Lukashenko’s regime and Belarus to join a full-scale ground operation. No matter how much of a dictator Lukashenko is, as of today his self-preservation instinct has not yet left him. And until now he understood that such a decision will be an act of suicide both for his regime and his army."
Details: Chief Intelligence Directorate official has expressed hope that such "self-preservation instinct" of Belarusian dictator will remain in the future.
Otherwise, according to Yusov, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready for various scenarios and won’t be waiting for "news" from the Belarusian side: "Ukrainians know what to do."
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