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Lukashenko says doesn’t want war but calls for being prepared for any scenario

The Belarusian president noted that talk about the alleged unavoidability of war can only raise alarm bells

MINSK, January 25. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday no one wants a war, but it is necessary to be ready for any scenario.

"I want you to understand me, not only as the president but also as the person who is in charge of the armed forces, neither I, nor any of our generals and army commanders want a war," the presidential press service quoted him as saying at a meeting with members of the National Academy of Sciences.

He noted that talk about the alleged unavoidability of war can only raise alarm bells. At the same time, he stressed that inaction in the current situation is inadmissible. As an example, he cited the situation prior to the Great Patriotic War (the Eastern Front during WWII where the former Soviet Union fought against Nazi Germany - TASS). "I am convinced that we must not repeat those mistakes. And for these ends, if we want to be reckoned with, we must demonstrate that. <…> We must be ready for any development of events. You’ve got to understand: it’s not about us. It’s just like during the 1812 Patriotic War, during World War I, during the Great Patriotic War, nobody needs us, and you know what they need," he said.

According to Lukashenko, Belarus demonstrated how resolutely it is able to act during and after the election in 2020. "I had to mobilize half the army and deploy it to the west [of the country]. What was happening here, inside, <…> was a walk in the park compared to what was happening there. And if we had failed to quash their plans in time, perhaps, the situation would have taken a different turn," he explained.

The Belarusian authorities have highlighted the concentration of military contingents and weapons observed along the country’s western borders and along Ukraine’s border areas in recent months.