MINSK, 19 December (BelTA) - There are no plans to increase the regional force grouping, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin told the media during the session of the 7th Belarusian People’s Congress on 19 December, BelTA has learned.
“We have no plans to increase the regional force grouping. What we have is sufficient for us. Our cooperation, of course primarily with our strategic allies, the Russian Federation, will only grow stronger and improve. The president emphasized this clearly yesterday. All plans are defined, and we have our course of action. What remains is to prepare ourselves and to enhance unity and cooperation, resolving all issues, primarily the challenging ones,” said Viktor Khrenin.
He also pointed out that in his Address to the Belarusian people and parliament, the head of state clearly conveyed the main priorities for building and developing the Armed Forces. “These are the development of counter-battery warfare, electronic warfare means, unmanned aerial systems, means to counter them, and the development of command systems and improving the effectiveness of combat training. To ensure the development of the Armed Forces, we have done tremendous work. Just last week, the head of state was briefed on the Belarusian’ defense plan for 2026-2030. We have also prepared the plan for building and developing the Armed Forces for the next five-year period, which clearly outlines what we must do, what we must achieve, and what funds are needed for this. We see that the situation today is one of escalating tension. We are responding to it adequately,” the minister noted.
Viktor Khrenin drew attention to the fact that the president constantly focuses on security issues. “What am I talking about here? The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. The Oreshnik missile system has arrived, is deployed on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, and is about to begin combat alert duty. All these are matters of strategic deterrence. The president constantly says that, in any case, it will be the person, the soldier, who decides everything on the battlefield. We understand this perfectly. Issues of tactics, combat training, unit cohesion, and team building - these will be the priority,” the minister stressed.
The minister also responded to a question about how our military reacts to the fact that Patriot missile systems have been placed on combat duty in Poland. “This system cannot create tension. It is a weapon of a more defensive nature. It was created to destroy aircraft and missiles. We see that. We are not planning to fly towards them or launch missiles. Why are they doing this? They have made us into an image of the enemy, and are now frightening their own population,” he said.
The Belarusian defense minister was also asked about Ukraine considering the presence of European nuclear weapons on its territory as a security guarantee. “Nuclear weapons are not a security guarantee; they are a factor of strategic deterrence. Not for waging aggression, but to prevent an aggressor from waging it,” Viktor Khrenin concluded.
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