Belarus’s dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, has blamed Ukraine for Russia’s invasion last year, insisting that Belarus is a “peaceful nation” despite allowing its territory to be used as a staging ground for Russian troops. “If they commit aggression against Belarus, the answer will be immediate,” he said
Europe’s last dictator, the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, blames Ukraine for the war, and warns that Belarus will join the fight if attacked. He insisted that Belarus is a “peaceful nation” even though it allowed its territory to be used as a staging post for the war against Ukraine, with hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers arriving in Ukraine through Belarus.
At a press conference in Minsk, Lukashenko again resisted pressure from Moscow to send his own troops to Ukraine, warning he would only do so if his country was attacked. In a stern warning to Ukraine and other Western countries, Lukashenko said: “I am ready to fight together with the Russians from the territory of Belarus only in one case: if at least one soldier sets foot in Belarus to kill my people.”
“If they commit aggression against Belarus, the answer will be immediate,” he said. “The war will be on a completely different scale.” Lukashenko’s press conference was held on Thursday, a day before the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his remarks may have been strategically designed to adjust expectations and advance a request for Lukashenko to deploy his forces in Ukraine.
A year ago, Russian forces invaded Ukraine through Belarus, in a failed attempt to capture Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. These soldiers were repelled and later fled back to Belarus. Since then, as Russia suffered a series of battlefield defeats that required reinforcements, Lukashenko did not offer to send his troops to join the war, despite increasing military cooperation between the countries, including bringing more Russian troops into Belarus.
Belarus is heavily dependent on Russia for economic and security assistance, but so far Lukashenko has proven unwilling to sacrifice his own troops to help Putin achieve his goals in Ukraine, including the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian territories.
On Thursday, Lukashenko blamed Kiev and the West for the war, saying Ukraine was under attack. “This is not an invasion; the Ukrainian authorities caused this operation,” Lukashenko said. “If they had reached an agreement with Russia, there would have been no war.”
“There was no invasion,” Lukashenko continued. “I believe that this is the protection of the interests of Russia and of these people, the Russians, who live there.”
Lukashenko also said that the West does not want to end the conflict. “You are escalating this conflict today,” he said, addressing Western reporters at the press conference. The United States does not want peace, he said. “They have bent Europe and make it do what they want.” Lukashenko also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he should adopt an “independent policy” and distance himself from the United States and its allies.
But amid all the tough talk, Lukashenko reiterated his reluctance to get involved in war. “We don’t want war,” he said. “We will under no circumstances send our soldiers to Ukraine unless you commit aggression against Belarus from there.”