MINSK, 21 July (BelTA) – Russia's campaign in Ukraine is not yet war, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Minsk on 21 July, BelTA has learned.
“I understand the subtleties and details and I agree that this [Russia's special operation in Ukraine] is not yet war, although we call it a war. Why so? Because, as Putin has recently said, Russia has not yet started anything in earnest there. Russia has not even reached the middle as far as the quality of warfare is concerned,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
The president explained that Russia has not yet used its most powerful weapon in Ukraine, and it is not even about nuclear potential. “I saw this weapon, I am in the know. Therefore, it is not yet the kind of war that could be,” the head of state said.
In addition, he added that Russia is using only regular troops and exclusively contract servicemen in the special operation, while Ukraine has announced the mobilization several times already.