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Russia, Belarus forced to respond to NATO buildup at shared borders, says diplomat

This is the common border of the Union State and the CSTO, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also noted

MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine have been stepping up their military presence along the Union State’s borders, forcing Russia and Belarus to respond appropriately to such incendiary acts, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Thursday.

"We share the concerns of [our] Belarusian colleagues and allies that NATO has been beefing up its military presence along the external borders of Belarus. This is, after all, the common border of the Union State and the CSTO. Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine are demonstratively concentrating their armed security forces and military equipment near the border, and [military] infrastructure is being built up. In this regard, Russia and Belarus are compelled to counteract adequately, and this includes combined policing of the airspace, regular joint training, drills and so on," she maintained.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman highlighted the fact that neither Western propaganda, nor members of political circles nor public officials have commented on these incendiary maneuvers in any way. Meanwhile, they view reciprocal measures to beef up security on the other side of the border as signs of aggression.

In this regard, Zakharova reiterated the upcoming snap inspection of the Union State’s rapid reaction forces and the Union Resolve 2022 exercises scheduled for February 10-20.

"Unlike [our] Western colleagues, we do not hide our plans, [we] act openly, clarify and respond to questions and, in the framework of voluntary transparency, report on the implementation of activities to strengthen the joint defense of the Union State," the diplomat noted.

Tags

Foreign policy Russian Foreign Ministry Belarus NATO Maria Zakharova

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