MINSK, March 13. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko issued a stern warning to Ukraine and NATO, urging them to refrain from interfering in Belarusian affairs, lest Minsk be compelled to use the Oreshnik missile system.

He also said that earlier this week a Ukrainian drone crashed in Belarus, injuring a woman.

TASS has summarized his key statements.

Oreshnik

Ukraine and NATO should refrain from interfering in Belarusian affairs, lest Minsk be compelled to use the Oreshnik missile system: "I'm not suggesting that tomorrow we will launch the Oreshnik missile at Vilnius, Warsaw, or Kiev - God forbid. That is not our intention. Our primary goal is to safeguard our country. To prevent the use of the Oreshnik missile system, please do not interfere with us - whether from Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, or Latvia. Let us resolve these issues peacefully."

"I'm not threatening anyone. I don't want Western politicians and media to seize upon this and interpret it as aggression. Do you truly believe that if Belarusian facilities become legitimate targets, I would simply remain passive? I have the capability to reach targets up to 70 km or even 200 km away. We possess the means to do so. Therefore, I advise them to keep their words in check and stay silent."

Belarus has purchased an Oreshnik missile system from Russia: "Thanks to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin - he lent a hand personally. I asked him, and he did it. And we paid for it. Thank you! We have bought this weapon."

Drone goes down in Belarus

Earlier this week, a Ukrainian drone crashed in Belarus, injuring a woman: "A drone fell down yesterday or the day before yesterday - a woman was injured. A probe revealed that this was a Ukrainian drone. Have you ever heard me howling, screaming, or shrieking, ‘You are such-and-such!’? Even though I had every right to. And this isn’t the first time."

"This drone was jammed, flew in the wrong direction and crashed uncontrollably when out of power. The war is nearby. That's how it happened. Yes, we can shout, but what will it change? Nothing."

Middle East conflict

Those who staged the attack on Iran have failed to get what they wanted: "Iran is a huge mountainous country. They have dug a lot of tunnels. No weapon can reach what is hidden there. The Israelis should have thought about this and told [US President Donald] Trump: ‘Look, the situation is like this, what are we going to do?’ But they opted to take up arms and go ahead. What have they achieved? Nothing. I know what they wanted: 4-5 points, from overthrowing the government to bombing nuclear facilities and forcing Iran to denounce nuclear weapons. Nothing has worked."

Belarus has "a careful, well-balanced position": "We are not getting involved in this war. I don’t want to create problems for my country."

The United States is seeking to get out of the conflict with Iran: "And the question is: what can they do? Trump says: ‘Well, we have bombed everything there and have nothing more we can do.’ This is an attempt to get out of this situation."

The spike in oil prices amid the conflict in the Middle East isn’t good for anyone: "There won't be any benefits here. If someone does benefit, it will only be for a short period of time. After that, it will spiral out of control. And inflation will continue to rise."

Call for Maduro’s release

The United States should release abducted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro: "[They should] release Maduro or find some other diplomatic solution. If need be, we are ready to help. They have dragged us into this."

Relations with the United States

Belarus is in negotiations with the United States on a wide range of issues, from the resumption of routine operations of the embassy to the release of prisoners: "We are discussing our bilateral relations, from resuming routine operation of the embassy to the release of so-called political prisoners. Even without any verdicts. And also economic issues and sanctions - everything. There are some ten items. We are negotiating all the issues with them. A lot of issues."

Minsk is not going to kowtow to Washington in the negotiating process. "I will talk to them only on these terms. We will not give in to them in any way. They aren’t even asking for that. They understand that won’t happen."

Response to attempts to organize riots in Belarus

Belarus will "come down hard" on anyone who tries to repeat the 2020 mass riots in the country: "I'll tell you more: regardless of any laws. I will react to this in the most severe way."