Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was ready to take all necessary measures to protect its ally in Minsk. The statement was made during a roundtable discussion on the Russia-Ukraine war organized by the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) of the Russian Foreign Ministry for heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow.
According to Lavrov, statements made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding Aliaksandr Lukashenka were aimed at drawing Minsk into the conflict.
“This German lady explicitly supported the threats that Zelenskyy made yesterday against a sovereign state, promising to use force if that dictator so wishes. Therefore, I believe this cynical attempt should be condemned. It is clearly aimed at drawing Belarus directly into the conflict and expanding the geography of military operations, thereby complicating the prospects for resolving the conflict through political and diplomatic means”, he said, referring to remarks by European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper, who stated that Ukraine has the right to defend itself.
“In this regard, I would also like to remind those in Kyiv engaged in this kind of propaganda and threats, and those in the West who are doing the same and supporting the Nazi regime, that since March 2025 a treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on security guarantees within the framework of the Union State has been in force. If necessary, we are prepared to take the full range of measures provided for by the treaty to ensure the security of our ally and, of course, the security of the Union State”, Lavrov added.
The treaty on security guarantees within the Union State предусматривает the deployment of Russian military facilities on the territory of Belarus. It also contains provisions regarding the use of nuclear weapons. The document provides mutual guarantees for ensuring the defence, sovereignty, independence and constitutional order of Russia and Belarus, as well as the integrity and inviolability of the territory and external borders of the Union State.