Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko made headlines with his recent remarks on Rossiya 1, where he warned that if NATO troops were deployed to Ukraine, it would trigger World War III. He emphasized that in such a scenario, both tactical and strategic nuclear weapons would be used.
In his statement, Lukashenko mentioned that Belarus had taken necessary precautions against potential threats from Ukraine, including placing mines and soldiers along the Belarus-Ukraine border. Evaluating the possibility of NATO sending troops to Ukraine, Lukashenko made following statements:
“If the Western powers bring NATO troops into Ukraine, World War III will begin. In that case, both tactical and strategic nuclear weapons will be used.”
Lukashenko stressed that they did not want the situation to escalate, saying, “We do not want a war with NATO. But if they do this, we will have no other choice. There will be no more red lines. Our only red line is our state border. The moment they step on our border, there will be a response.”
In the interview with the Russian state channel Rossiya, Lukashenko underscored that Belarus and Russia were in the same boat, saying, “If this boat capsizes, both Russia and Belarus will sink.” He hinted at some Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries trying to distance themselves from Russia, adding, “What should we hide? Our allied relations? We (Belarus) are not acting slyly to take something from Russia without giving anything in return, like some former Soviet countries do.”
Referring to the events in Kazakhstan in 2022 and the contribution of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) peacekeeping force to stability there at Kazakhstan’s request, Lukashenko continued:
“The time is not far off when you will come to Russia seeking support and assistance. There will be no one else to look to for help… Something happened in Kazakhstan, who did you ask for help? China, India, Pakistan? No, it was [Russian President] Putin. And as CSTO, we deployed forces there immediately after the unrest; our planes landed there by the afternoon. I’m not complaining. But things don’t work this way. We need to be together.”
Lukashenko also expressed confidence that CIS countries would turn to Russia and Belarus in emergencies and called for the preservation of economic ties within the former Soviet sphere.
