President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus will launch military action against Ukraine if his country is attacked by “a single soldier.”
“I am ready to fight together with the Russians from the territory of Belarus in only one case: if a single soldier from (Ukraine) comes to our territory with a weapon to kill my people,” Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko made the comment Thursday at a news conference with foreign reporters at the Independence Palace in Minsk.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin hugs his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting in Moscow, December 29, 2018. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool via Reuters)
“This applies to our other neighbors,” Lukashenko added. “If they commit aggression against Belarus, our response will be the cruelest. The cruelest!”
Lukashenko is the longest-serving European president, having held the position since it was established in 1994 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Domestic and foreign opponents of the regime have criticized his successive electoral victories as fraudulent.
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Belarusian border guards check drivers and vehicles near the border with Ukraine in the Brest region on February 15, 2023. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)
The government has arrested tens of thousands of political dissidents who question the legitimacy of the Belarusian government.
Belarus remains a strong ally of Russia and supports the invasion of Ukraine. However, the Belarusian government has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of joining the conflict.
ukrainian forces they are killing nearly 1,000 Russian soldiers every day, wiping out 5,000 soldiers in a single battle in late January, according to UK officials citing data from Ukraine.
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meets with foreign media at the Independence Palace in the capital Minsk on February 16, 2023. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian troops, including the 155 elite naval infantry, stormed the Ukrainian coal mining town of Vuhledar near Dontesk in late January. However, the Ukrainian forces repelled the offensive and killed, wounded or captured. 5,000 Russian soldiers.
Meanwhile, UK officials say the war is taking a heavy toll on Russia, with 824 Russian soldiers dying every day, according to updates from Ukraine.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
