Lukashenko hints that he will not fight in Ukraine and speaks about Russia’s involvement of soldiers from the DPRK: ISW
Belarusian President Oleksandr Lukashenko has said that Belarusian troops will not take part in the war against Ukraine, as this, according to him, would lead to an escalation of the conflict and the potential intervention of NATO. He expressed doubt about reports that Russia plans to bring North Korean troops to the front, noting that such a move is not in Russia’s interests. These statements were addressed attention at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) of the United States.
Lukashenko, answering the BBC’s questions, called the information about the participation of soldiers from the DPRK “stupid” and noted that Putin “will never put pressure” on other countries to join their troops in the war in Ukraine. He emphasized that even the deployment of Belarusian forces at the front would lead to escalation.
“If the armed forces of any country, even Belarus, were on the conflict line, it would be a step towards the escalation of the conflict. Even if we went to war, that would be a path to escalation. Why, Because you Anglo-Saxons would immediately say that another country intervened on the one hand… therefore NATO troops will be introduced into Ukraine“, he explained.
Lukashenko also continued to deny Belarus’ involvement in the invasion, which began with the use of Belarusian territory. According to him, the Russian troops stationed in the border areas returned home after the exercises, but were later returned to Ukraine due to “provocation”. Lukashenko added that at that time he was not in contact with Putin, and no message was received from Moscow.
On the same day, in an interview with the Russia 1 TV channel, Lukashenko stated that the Kremlin does not need reinforcements in the form of troops from North Korea, as Russia has sufficient mobilization resources. However, the propaganda agency TASS did not include Lukashenka’s words about the undesirability of involving the DPRK in the report, limiting himself to his remark about the probable reaction of the West in response to such a move.
