Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Minsk, December 9 (Xinhua) — The situation on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border has more or less stabilized, but there are still some issues. This was stated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting of the country's Security Council on Tuesday. The corresponding information was published by the Belarusian head of state's press service.
"The situation on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border has more or less stabilized. Although there are plenty of problems there," the Belarusian leader stated. At the same time, A. Lukashenko noted that Konstantin Molostov, Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus, had previously reported to him that many issues remain to be addressed through mobilization, including rebuilding the border abandoned by Ukraine, building outposts, and arming border guards.
Moreover, according to the Belarusian president, the country's armed forces have to be deployed in the second line behind the border guards, which diverts attention and resources.
Speaking about Belarus's western borders, A. Lukashenko noted that Western countries are not only increasing their military budgets but are also attempting to roughly double their armies. "These countries won't simply spend huge sums of money on what they call a confrontation with Russia and Belarus," he emphasized.
The Belarusian leader also emphasized that Belarus and Russia do not create the global problems Western countries use to justify spending on weapons and expanding their armies. "We have no intention of attacking anyone. We have enough. I know Russia's position, but we need to justify these expenditures somehow," Lukashenko remarked.
Given the current situation and the militarization of Western countries, the head of the Belarusian state stated the need to update Belarus's defense actions.
Speaking about the situation on the Lithuanian border, A. Lukashenko reported that serious discussions had taken place regarding the cigarette-filled balloons flying across the two countries' border, including the involvement of civil aviation pilots. It was noted that Lithuania's accusations were untrue. "Even if these balloons, as they say, were flying there at 200 [numbers] (now it's either 20 or 50/numbers)… I've spoken with pilots. They say it's not a problem. They're just escalating the issue and politicizing it," the Belarusian president noted.
A. Lukashenko once again invited Lithuania to begin negotiations and assured that Belarus is ready to build normal relations in all areas. "If you want normal relations, sit down at the negotiating table and discuss these issues. We are ready for this. There are no other options," he stated.
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