Belarus leader Aleksander Lukashenko has said Ukraine has said his country is preparing for a war, emphasizing that peacetime assumptions were no longer realistic.
"There can be no peacetime at all. We are preparing for war. That is why we created the Armed Forces, that is why we maintain them, and that is why the people allocate money to support us. And people in this audience (and not only in this one) must understand: we are categorically against war," the Belarusian leader said on Wednesday while addressing the military.
Lukashenko stressed comprehensive inspection of the Belarusian forces was necessary to check how units were brought to full readiness would operate in wartime conditions.
"We do not want war, but the army is designed for that. If someone suddenly decides to talk to us and look at us through gun sights, we will respond. That is what we are preparing for," Lukashenko emphasized.
Lukashenko’s statements are made in the context of intensified military cooperation between Belarus and Russia, including joint exercises, the recent deployment of Russian Oreshnik missile systems, and earlier large-scale drills that were followed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, NATO representatives—among them a high-ranking French general—have cautioned that Russia could target the alliance’s eastern borders sometime between 2028 and 2029, particularly if the United States reduces its engagement in Europe. Together, these factors highlight rising concerns about potential instability along Belarus’s frontiers.
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