Belarus: Lithuania protests Lukashenko's statement on military action

Lithuania They protested Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko's statements regarding possible military actions against the neighboring country. The foreign ministry of the EU-NATO Baltic states said a “strong protest” had been sent to Belarus. The authoritarian neighboring country has also been asked to make an official statement as soon as possible.

in Belarus Last Tuesday, a video of Lukashenko visiting troops was posted on a pro-government Telegram channel. It showed him a military representative explaining the objectives of the training and talking about how prepared the Belarusian army was to attack parts of Poland or Lithuania if necessary. A narrow land corridor runs between the two member states of the European Union and NATO, bordering the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea and Russia's close ally Belarus – the so-called Sualki Corridor.

“Further escalation of aggressive foreign policy”

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statements included unjustified accusations about alleged military threats from Lithuania against Belarus, hints about the unsustainability of the Suwalki Corridor, and instructions to prepare the Belarusian army for a possible confrontation with the Baltic states and Poland. She added that this could be interpreted as a “further escalation of Belarus’ aggressive foreign policy,” which is completely unacceptable.

Lukashenko has been in power since 1994. Since the Belarusian parliament was stripped of its powers, he has become the sole de facto ruler. He is considered a close ally of Vladimir Putin. Since the rigged presidential elections in 2020, many countries no longer consider him a legitimate president internationally. Suppressing protests against the so-called elections.