Russian ambassador: any attack on Belarus will be viewed as an attack on Russia
Moscow will regard any military attack on Belarus as an attack on Russia, said Russian ambassador to Belarus Mikhail Babich in an interview with the Belarus 1 TV channel and added that the two countries have friendly relations.
In particular, the ambassador commented on the possibility of deploying a permanent American base in Poland, which was discussed by US President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda on September 18 in Washington.
Commenting on the militarization of the region, Babich said, “Of course, this is an alarming factor, and it should not be neglected. And I think here is a very important point for both our Belarusian partners and, most importantly, for everybody who is planning something. Any military attack on Belarus will be viewed as an attack on Russia with all the consequences that will ensue.”
He also said that Russia and Belarus are pursuing a uniform policy on this issue and “it guarantees the absolute security” for citizens of both states. “In this situation, we are increasing our efforts in accordance with the circumstances. We share with our Belarusian partners an absolutely mutual understanding on this issue. We have a regional grouping of troops and forces. Today we have all the components that are necessary for defense and retaliation,” the ambassador said.
Babich believes that the plans to increase the American military contingent near the borders of Russia and Belarus does not contribute to the security of the neighboring countries. “Because such a confrontation will not do any good either to Poland or the neighboring countries where these bases are deployed,” he said.
At a press conference held on September 18 at the White House, Polish President Andrzej Duda called on the US authorities to send more American troops to the country, which, he said, will be beneficial for both Washington and Warsaw since it will contribute to Poland’s security.
In addition, Duda said that during his talks with US President Donald Trump, they joked about creating an American military base named “Fort-Trump”. Earlier, Warsaw stated that it is ready to allocate $ 2 billion to build the infrastructure for such a base. On the same day, Trump told reporters that he will seriously consider the Polish president’s proposal.
At the moment, an American tank brigade of about 3.5 thousand people is deployed on a rotational basis in Poland. In addition, a multinational NATO battalion of about a thousand troops is deployed in the country.