BISHKEK, 9 December (BelTA) – A war on Russia was supposed to begin from the Donbass in 2021-2022, but Russia acted preemptively, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he talked to the media on the sidelines of the EAEU summit in Bishkek, BelTA has learned.
"We know for sure (I informed President Putin that we will make these facts public soon) that they were going to advance NATO troops to the border of Smolensk Oblast after the 2020 coup in Belarus and start a war against Russia from the Donbass," the Belarusian leader said.
According to him, the war was supposed to begin under the pretext of Russia's seizing of foreign territories. "From there, the war was supposed to start in 2021, maybe 2022. Russia foiled their plans and acted preemptively. Therefore, Russia does not deserve the accusations. We all read the statements by Poroshenko, Merkel [former leaders of Ukraine and Germany]. They are lying that it was Russia who started the war," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.