Belarus
Friday 1 December 2023
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"I contacted Putin, told him: Let us spend some of the money from the union state budget on those kids."
Lukashenko has gone far beyond providing financial support and allowed the Russian government to expand its abduction of Ukrainian children into Belarus. -
“…the Russian military infrastructure has never moved toward Western Europe...”
The Russian Federation has been aggressively expanding its military presence toward Western Europe, including by waging a war in Ukraine and deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. -
“[Since the counteroffensive began] something like 40,000 Ukrainians have perished and more than 100,000 have been irrevocably injured. In total, that’s almost 120-150,000.”Lukashenko’s claims are not supported by evidence, are unverifiable and lack credibility.
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“The deployment of any kind of nuclear weapons in Belarus is not only a violation of international commitments such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. It also violates our non-nuclear status under the Constitution...”
Belarus’ international obligations and its 1994 constitution prohibit deploying nuclear weapons on its territory. -
“Ukraine formally proposed to Belarus a non-aggression pact while preparing for war near the Belarus-Ukraine border, seeming to repeat the scene where they deceived Russia with the Minsk Agreements.”
The Minsk Agreements were negotiated to stop Russia’s undeclared war in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists fought Ukrainian government forces. -
“Washington has never hesitated to use force under fabricated pretexts … using false claims to justify its actions such as the need to protect the lives and well-being of U.S. citizens.”
To defend Russia’s war on Ukraine, Lavrov misrepresents why the United States overthrew Panama’s military dictator, Manuel Noriega, in 1989. -
“The special military operation continues, it continues methodically, it continues in accordance with the existing plans. All goals will be achieved.”
Russia failed to seize Kyiv as planned. After costly losses, it’s short on tanks and troops, while Ukraine has armed up. -
“We strictly comply with humanitarian law during the special operation.”
Russian military forces in Ukraine are accused of a gamut of war crimes, from deliberately targeting civilians to rapes, executions and use of indiscriminate weapons. -
“According to local authorities, no military funerals and burials of foreign soldiers have been registered in this settlement.”
A memorial to Polish soldiers did exist in the town of Mikulishki, Belarus. In fact, it was destroyed. -
“We categorically do not accept any war. We have done and are doing everything now so that there isn’t a war.”
Belarus was an eager partner in Russia’s invasion, transiting troops and tanks and providing staging for hundreds of missile launches. -
“The so-called collective West does not need a strong and sovereign Russia, and will not forgive us our independent policy and standing up for our national interests. It is trying to divide our society. It’s aim is to destroy Russia.”
The West spent decades after the Soviet Union collapsed helping Russia and trying negotiate differences. Putin gave up and attacked Ukraine. -
“We remind you that Russia, throughout all of its history, has never attacked anyone.”
Russia has engaged in numerous offensive military operations against its neighbors and others. Now, it’s rolling troops into Ukraine.