Lukashenko discusses with Russia’s defense chief "security guarantees for Belarus”

This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to the state-run information agency BelTA.

"While saying goodbye after the latest negotiations with Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin. - ed.), we agreed that you along with your specialists will come to Belarus, and that we will sit down to discuss the security of Belarus. You know, I have already raised this issue at the SSC (supreme state council of the so-called "Union State of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus", - ed.). But before that, we discussed this issue with Vladimir Vladimirovich," Lukashenko said.

He then accused the Western nations of allegedly failing to fulfill the agreements regarding the security guarantees for Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Belarus, which were given as part of the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 in exchange for the removal of nuclear weapons from those three countries.

"Economic security was in question, including. Well, what economic security are we talking about if they impose sanctions against us and Russia?! That is why I raised this issue in negotiations with the president of Russia. He absolutely supported me in all regards. Also, he says, we need to revise all our treaties and agreements – between Belarus and Russia – to see what normative legal act of an intergovernmental nature should be adopted now to ensure the complete security of Belarus," Lukashenko said.

According to the self-styled president, "in general, it was voiced during the negotiations that in case of aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation will defend Belarus as its own territory." "These are the security guarantees we need," concluded Lukashenko.

As reported earlier, the Institute for the Study of War recently concluded in its report that Putin intended to tighten economic control over Belarus.