Belarus ready to ‘wage war’ alongside Russia in Ukraine if attacked

‘If Ukraine commit aggression against Belarus... the war will take on a completely different nature,’ says President Alexander Lukashenko

Belarus is ready to “wage war” alongside Russia in Ukraine if it is attacked, the country’s president Alexander Lukashenko has said.

“I’m ready to wage war, alongside the Russians, from the territory of Belarus. But only if someone – even a single soldier – enters our territory from there [Ukraine] with weapons to kill my people,” he said. “If they commit aggression against Belarus, the response will be the most severe, and the war will take on a completely different nature.”

Russia used Belarus to help launch its invasion of Ukraine last year, with its failed offensive on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv starting from the country. Military cooperation between the two nations has been on the increase in recent months, with a number of air force drills and the formation of a joint military group, raising fears in Kyiv that Minsk could be preparing to play a more active role in the conflict.