External aggression against Belarus to be considered attack on Russia itself — diplomat
Maria Zakharova reminded Western politicians that Belarus, in coordination with Russia, has a "regional battlegroup, Russian modern defense complexes, tactical nuclear weapons"
ST. PETERSBURG, June 7. /TASS/. Any external aggression against Belarus will be considered an attack on the territory of the Union State with all ensuing consequences, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
"In accordance with the 2021 updated military doctrine of the Union State, any external aggression against Belarus will be viewed by Russia as an aggression on our common Union State territory with all the resulting very serious consequences," she said, commenting on the statement of Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on the possibility of strikes from Ukraine on "Russian military targets" in Belarus.
In this regard, the diplomat reminded Western politicians that Belarus, in coordination with Russia, has a "regional battlegroup, Russian modern defense complexes, tactical nuclear weapons, meant to assist the Belarusian armed forces in ensuring the security of the western borders of the Union State and the CSTO" on its territory.
Zakharova also pointed out that by making such statements, the West is "getting the population used to the notion that a state of peace is not the norm." "They are getting used to the ideology of war. They confuse and corrupt their own media with such statements, which have no way of writing a normal story or preparing a normal report on the fact that such statements can actually have serious consequences for those who make them and for the peoples of the countries in whose name such statements are made. The Western media are literally paralyzed," the spokeswoman concluded.
Earlier, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on the air of Radio Sviboda (recognized in the Russia as a foreign-agent media) admitted that Ukraine may strike the territory of Belarus, if there are "military targets" associated with Russia.
About forum
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is being held on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.