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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko declared after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia was ‘ready to ensure the security of Belarus’.
Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko said Saturday his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had pledged “comprehensive security assistance,” as protests over last week’s elections continue to sweep the country, per state news agency Belta, reported Axios.
Belarus has been in a constant state of civil unrest since the recent elections which put Lukashenko back in the presidency for a sixth term. Lukashenko likes to laugh at being called ‘Europe’s Last Dictator’.
Nexta Telegram channel has become an overnight sensation during the protests across the nation.
“I am more worried about the situation that is unfolding on the territory of our neighboring states – Poland and Lithuania. As you know, military exercises of NATO troops are taking place there. That would have been fine, but there is an escalation and a build-up of the armed component in these territories. Naturally we cannot turn a blind eye to it, we cannot observe this calmly. And when early in the morning I was listening to the report of the Chief of the General Staff, I noticed: our military is also worried about this problem,” Lukashenko said in a classic case of ‘look over there’ so you don’t look at the repression here.
“When it comes to the military component, we have an agreement with the Russian Federation within the framework of the Union State and the Collective Security Treaty Organization,”Lukashenko explained. “These moments fit this agreement. Therefore, today I had a long, detailed conversation with the Russian president about the situation. I must say, I was even somewhat surprised – [Putin] is absolutely aware of what is happening,”he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone conversation with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday confirmed Moscow’s readiness to provide assistance in solving problems based on the treaty on creating the Union State and in the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Kremlin press service said, reported Russian state news agency TASS.
“Russia confirmed readiness to provide necessary assistance in ironing out emerging problems based on the principles of the treaty on creating the Union State and also if needed in the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,” the statement said.
The two leaders continued discussing the situation in Belarus after the presidential election, “including given the external pressure on the republic,” the press service said.
The ‘Union State’ is a quasi-political union between the Russian Federation and Belarus harkening back to the fall of the Soviet Union.
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