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Belarus sees military risks in NATO expansion, Ukraine conflict

However, "certain concrete actions of a potential enemy should be in place for a risk to grow into a threat," the country’s Defense Minister Andrey Ravkov told the media

A military parade rehearsal in Minsk, Belarus (archive) Viktor Drachyov/TASS

A military parade rehearsal in Minsk, Belarus (archive)

© Viktor Drachyov/TASS

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MINSK, February 23. /TASS/. NATO expansion and the Ukrainian conflict are posing potential military risks for Belarus, though they have not amounted to threats, the country’s Defense Minister Andrey Ravkov told the Belarus 1 television on Tuesday.

"A military risk always exists, with expansion of NATO forces and means near the borders of the Republic of Belarus along with a conflict of our neighbor - Ukraine, and a growing number of combat and operative events of NATO forces near our borders as well," Ravkov said.

However, "certain concrete actions of a potential enemy should be in place for a risk to grow into a threat," he said.

"There have been no such actions yet," he went on. "So we cannot say there is a risk of a war."

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