Protect "like its own territory": Lukashenko demands security guarantees from Putin
Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, at the meeting with Sergei Shoigu, the Minister of Defence of Russia, in Minsk, demanded guarantees that in case of aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation will protect Belarus "like its own territory".
Source: Belarusian state-owned news outlet Belta
Quote: "I raised this question in the negotiations with the President of Russia. He completely supported me. He said we need to revise all our decrees and agreements – between Belarus and Russia – to see what international normative legal act we must sign now in order to ensure the full security of Belarus.
During the negotiations, it was concluded that in case of aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation would protect Belarus like its own territory. This is the kind of security guarantees we need."
Details: Lukashenko stated that he raised these questions at the sitting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State (the union between Russia and Belarus – ed.) but had discussed them with Putin before.
Lukashenko claimed that the Western countries do not fulfil the agreements about the security guarantees that they gave within the framework of the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for the withdrawal of nuclear arms.
He added that the Budapest Memorandum "included oaths of all Western states and Russia to guarantee full security to Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belarus", and this must have included "economic safety" as well, but the West implements sanctions against Belarus and Russia.
Quote: "What security guarantees can the US even provide us with? None. What they do is initiate aggression against us, as we can see now.
We need full security guarantees from our brotherly Russia.
At the end of the meeting, Putin and I raised this question once again and agreed that you and your experts would arrive today, and we would discuss this issue in the context of the current situation, specifically that of the special military operation [this is what the Russians call the war with Ukraine – ed.]".
Details: Lukashenko discussed combat training and the unity of the "joint allied grouping" with Shoigu and thanked Russia for "keeping a few thousand Russian soldiers" in Belarus "despite all struggles".
Shoigu thanked him in response for the five training grounds provided by Belarus and the "sufficient quantity of instructors – the officers of the Armed Forces of Belarus for training and staffing".
He added that the quantity of the Russian military in Belarus may be increased.
Background:
Alexander Lukashenko has become an accomplice of Vladimir Putin in the war against Ukraine, and Belarus has provided its territory to Russian troops for the invasion of 24 February 2022, and missile attacks on Ukraine for over a year. Belarusian troops are not formally involved in the war, but Lukashenko supports and justifies Putin's actions.
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