- Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has asked Russia to defend itself if attacked, according to state media.
- The beleaguered leader has asked Russia to protect it “as its own territory.”
- Lukashenko may be reacting to Finland’s recent NATO membership, according to one expert.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has asked President Vladimir Putin for assurances that Russia will defend the country if attacked. This is due to ongoing tensions with Western countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
Lukashenko met with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu in Minsk on Monday. Belarusian state news agency Berta.
At the meeting, Lukashenko demanded that “in the event of an aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation will protect Belarus as its own territory,” the outlet reported, as he said.
“We need that kind of assurance,” he added.
As part of his statement, Lukashenko also disparaged the West’s commitment to security.
Mikhail Porozhak, Advisor to the President of Ukraine, Lukashenko’s statement dismissed As a “strange desire” akin to “an antelope seeking assurances of safety in the mouth of a crocodile.”
Belarus, already seen by many Western observers as a Russian puppet state, has long-standing agreements to form a “federated state” whose terms have been negotiated for decades. In November 2021, the two countries agreed to a series of integrated measures, Radio Free Europe reported.
Lukashenko has long resisted moves to sabotage Belarusian sovereignty, but documents leaked in February revealed the Kremlin’s plans to massively integrate Belarus by 2030.
Belarus has avoided committing troops to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but has supported it by training Russian forces and allowing Russia to use its military bases.
In March, Putin announced plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus. Ukrainian security official Oleksiy Danilov said this was tantamount to “taking Belarus as a nuclear hostage”.
Emily Ferris, a research fellow at the Royal United Service Institute focusing on Russian and Eurasian security, said it’s not clear exactly what Monday’s Lukashenko statement was intended to achieve. said.
“They have a lot of security alliances already,” she told Insider.
Article 5 of NATO refers to the principle of mutual defense, and an attack on one member is interpreted as an attack on all.
“I don’t think it makes much sense regardless of security guarantees,” she continued, adding, “Their forces are pretty well integrated in all respects.
Ferris also said the move could be a response to Finland’s joining NATO earlier this month, and that Balarus “may feel overexposed from a security perspective. ” he said.
It could also be a response to Lukashenko’s feeling threatened by domestic politics, she said, and Lukashenko and Putin don’t really enjoy a strong personal relationship.
“It’s not entirely clear what exactly Lukashenko’s role will be if Putin becomes head of state, and who will control what,” she added.