MINSK, 15 August (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko answered the question of whether he is ready to press the "red button" in an interview with the Rossiya TV channel, BelTA has learned.
“A direct question that the West loves to ask leaders: Are you ready to press the ‘red button’?” journalist Evgeny Popov asked.
“I have heard the discussions of all these issues. It is you who asked me about nuclear weapons. As Putin says: ‘I did not raise this topic, you asked me’. As for the nuclear weapons: they ‘have pushed red buttons’ all around, along the perimeter of Belarus and Russia. The only thing left is to press the real ‘red button’. Therefore, from a moral point of view, it is probably somehow uncomfortable for Putin and me, who will actually have to make such decisions, to even talk about it,” the president said.
"Secondly, when tactical nuclear weapons were deployed here, I told them [opponents abroad] (although they consider me crazy and capable of using weapons): "We are not going to use any weapons until you step on our state border. It is also the border of the Union State," the Belarusian leader said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that Russia, according to the agreements, in the event of aggression against Belarus, shall send its troops to Belarus to provide military support.
"Russia, according to our agreement, shall send its troops (they have been designated already) to Belarus. We take the first blow and then Russia backs us up. This is Belarus and Russia’s common war against these beasts. Should we wait until they destroy our country, as it happened with the Soviet Union [the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War]? No! Therefore, we will respond instantly and appropriately," the president said.
"If they do not want this to happen, then let's sit down at the negotiating table and end this fight. Neither the Ukrainian people, nor the Russians, or the Belarusians need it. It is them who need this conflict. I cannot disclose these facts as they are top secret. But they [high-ranking officials] openly say and I quote: ‘it is good that Ukrainians and Russians kill each other’,” the president said. “High-ranking officials are talking about such things. They are of U.S. origin (I will lift the veil a little bit here). Is this OK? They want us to destroy each other,” the head of state said.
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