War may come to the EU –

The Ukrainian offensive on Russian territory involves Belarus, Vladimir Putin’s main ally, which denounces violations of airspace and warns the countries of the European Union. Minsk speaks of “criminal actions” after President Alexander Lukashenko reported the “destruction” of “air targets” that entered Belarusian airspace yesterday evening “from Ukraine”. The Foreign Ministry in Minsk, reports the BelTa agency, denounces the “violation of the state border by a group of attack drones launched from the territory of Ukraine” and “shot down”. For the ministry it is a “very serious incident”, of “criminal actions that aggravate the situation and constitute a dangerous attempt to expand the current conflict zone in our region”. Belarus accuses Kiev of “trying to expand the zone of the current conflict”, warning that in this way the war risks overwhelming the entire region and extending to the countries of the EU.

“We call on these parties to stop,” they say from Minsk. “If the conflict were to spread, it would overwhelm the entire region and reach the EU countries as well. There would be no winners.” Minsk also threatens to use the “right to self-defense and to respond appropriately to any provocation or hostile action.” Meanwhile, Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin announced that Lukashenko has ordered troops to strengthen their presence on the border with Ukraine and the deployment of Iskander and Polonez systems in the area, particularly in the Homel region in southern Belarus and on the border with Ukraine.

Lukashenko had earlier warned Belarusians to get used to the idea that the country could soon have another president. “I am already starting to publicly tell all of you: you should get used to the fact that the president will be different,” the Belarusian leader told the state-run newspaper ‘SB-Belarus Today’, according to the Russian agency Interfax. Lukashenko assured that he would not leave office tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, but, he said, “I am not eternal.” Next year, in 2025, presidential elections will be held in Belarus.