MINSK, 1 December (BelTA) – The United States is the obvious beneficiary of the conflict in Ukraine, Belarus' Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin told reporters following his meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, BelTA has learned.
An increase in the number of provocations near the state border of Belarus was taken note of at the meeting. The president said that Ukraine is trying to draw the troops of NATO member states into the conflict under any pretext. This is confirmed by the recent missile ‘accident' on the territory of Poland. In this regard, journalists asked the defense minister how NATO and EU countries treat such attempts. "There is only one beneficiary in this story around our country and in world politics, and we are already seeing this. It's only the United States. It is trying to weaken Russia, it is absorbing the European Union and already brought the Ukrainian economy to its knees. This is the main beneficiary today," Viktor Khrenin said.
As for provocations near the Belarusian border, the minister also sees them as an attempt to draw the country into the conflict. "But we understand this and, of course, we will respond to these provocations. We reserve the right to response to them in the way we see fit," the head of the Defense Ministry emphasized.
For example, the Armed Forces will draw appropriate conclusions from what is happening on the southern border of the country, take this into account in their work and in the training of military personnel. President Aleksandr Lukashenko urged to learn the lessons from what is happening along the perimeter of Belarus.
"We are making significant changes to the plans and programs of combat training of our servicemen," Viktor Khrenin said. Today marked the start of a new training year in the Armed Forces and right from the first days the personnel began intensive combat training.
