Lukashenko Says Belarus Might Host Russian Troops if Union State Endangered
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Russian troops may be deployed in Belarus should a threat to the Russia-Belarus Union State arise, but there is no need for this move now, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with local officials on Friday.
"If it is required for the security of the Union State, which we are building, and for the security of Belarus and Russia, to deploy all the armed forces with all types of armaments, they will be deployed here immediately. Right now, there is no need for this, and we have quite a strong, consolidated, and compact military," the Belarusian state-run news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenko as saying.
Belarus itself can quickly mobilize "500,000" troops at the right moment, "apart from territorial personnel" (the Belarusian territorial defense forces) "and this is already considerable power," the Belarusian president noted.
"If this is not enough, all the armed forces of the Russian Federation will be introduced here. If necessary, and we won’t hesitate," he vowed, the Tass news agency reported.
The Belarusian leader emphasized, however, that "there is absolutely no need for this today."
"When things were thein August last year, when someone balked, sold out or hid under the covers or someone was at their wits end, I did not introduce any armed forces, either from Russia, or Ukraine or any other country. We tackled this misfortune on our own. This is my position," the Belarusian leader said.
