MOSCOW, March 14. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, speaking at the Federation Council upper house for the first time, stated that the Russian Oreshnik complex would soon be deployed with the Belarusian army. He emphasized that Belarusian-Russian integration must be made irreversible, but Belarus' accession to the Russian Federation will not happen anytime soon.
Speaking about US leader Donald Trump, he acknowledged his resolve, calling it remarkable that he "bulldozed through the United States and won" the elections.
TASS has compiled the key statements from the Belarusian leader.
On relations with Russia
Russia will never lose Belarus if it connects with the soul of its people: "It shouldn't be any other way. We are the closest. This is time-tested and proven by real cases."
Moscow and Minsk still face numerous problems that need to be solved together: "The more we do something, the more problems we seem to encounter, and we are determined to resolve these issues."
Russia and Belarus "seamlessly complement each other" in industry despite differences in resources. They "mutually address each other’s gaps, integrating the strengths of both countries."
Belarus will always stand by Russia if the republic faces a choice: "If we must make a choice, we will always stand with our Russia."
Moscow and Minsk "must learn how to mobilize" to achieve even greater success in the economy: "It's not that simple. Belarus can mobilize in a week, in Russia it will take more than one week. But we must learn this; it's especially important now."
Russia and Belarus must defend their position in foreign policy to ensure the West cannot "deceive them": "We must stand firm in our positions, no one should push us aside."
Belarus will not join Russia anytime soon: "This is unlikely to happen in the near future. If we attempt to force this issue, we risk undermining everything we have achieved."
The introduction of a single currency for Russia and Belarus is not necessary now; this moment has already passed. Experts from the national banks opposed this proposal: "And the Central Bank of Russia was the first to say it."
Moscow and Minsk are working on a new satellite with ultra-precise resolution, a platform for it "is almost ready."
"Our historical mission today, based on certain facts that I have named, is to make the process of Belarusian-Russian integration irreversible."
On the Ukrainian conflict
There is a challenge in the situation in Ukraine, and it is necessary to decide "either to fight or to make peace": "Although it is elementary. If we can fight, let's fight. If we can't, we won't talk about it, but we will move towards peace so that people don't die."
US President Donald Trump has set himself the goal of helping to establish peace: "Thank you, Donald." At the same time, "no need to rush into all these conversations": "Facts on the table: we have to examine them carefully so that they don't harm us."
On Trump
It is remarkable that Donald Trump "bulldozed through the United States and won" the election.
On Oreshnik
Russian-made Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile systems will soon be deployed with the Belarusian army. The launcher for this missile is manufactured in Belarus: "Several missiles [Minsk expects to receive], while we will produce the launchers."
The location of the Oreshnik missiles in Belarus was discussed at talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 13: "Yesterday, we addressed this issue. Putin told me, 'Now we need to decide where we will station them.' I replied, 'Well, that's easier. We will certainly station them, provided we have the equipment to station,'" he said.
On sanctions
The sanctions "benefited" both Belarus and Russia, for example, they allowed them to identify "gaps" in the aircraft industry, "which had not been seen before."
On opposition
In Belarus, we don't really believe in the opposition’s repentance, but we hear their excuses: "Now they've come to their senses, they admit that they're drugged. Well, we hear it, we don't quite believe it, but we hear it, we keep it under control."