Belarus Has No Plans to Attack Neighbours, Lukashenko Tells Troops

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that his country has no intention of attacking its neighbours, describing any such conflict as unwinnable, while stressing that Belarus must be prepared to defend itself.

Speaking during a meeting with military personnel, Lukashenko rejected suggestions that Minsk was planning aggression. He said attacking any neighbouring state would be "tantamount to death," adding that Belarus could not prevail in a conflict with the larger states along its perimeter.

"We have no intention of attacking anyone, we are pragmatists," he said, according to remarks delivered in Russian.

At the same time, he said Belarus was obliged to protect its territory and population. "We are obliged to defend every centimeter, every millimeter of our land," he said, describing this as a task to be carried out "whatever the cost."

Lukashenko also addressed the purpose of ongoing military exercises, saying they were not a prelude to an attack on Poland, Lithuania, Latvia or Ukraine. "We are preparing for any war in order to avoid it," he said, calling it a simple and clear formula.

Belarus has not sent troops to fight in Russia's war in Ukraine, but Lukashenko has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort by hosting Russian nuclear weapons and military infrastructure on Belarusian soil and by producing components for Moscow's military industries.

When Putin ordered troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many of them crossed the border from Belarus, following joint drills held days before the invasion.