In development of agreements with Putin, Lukashenko discussed security guarantees for Belarus with Shoigu in Minsk

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting in Minsk with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who arrived in the Belarusian capital to follow up on recent agreements between the heads of state, BelTA correspondent reports.

"Parting after the last negotiations with Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin. - BelTA note), we agreed that you, along with specialists, would come to Belarus, and we would sit down with you and discuss Belarus's security issues. You know, I already raised this issue at the Supreme State Council. But before that, we discussed this issue with Vladimir Vladimirovich," the President said.

Alexander Lukashenko stated that Western countries are not fulfilling the security guarantees agreed upon within the framework of the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for the withdrawal of nuclear weapons. "Somewhere after 1994, the well-known Budapest Memorandum, where all Western powers and Russia swore to provide full security to Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Belarus. Naturally, you know that Western states have trampled all these treaties, agreements, and statements, and there is no security. Economic security was implied, among other things. Well, what economic security is there if they impose sanctions against us, against Russia?!" the Belarusian leader noted. "Therefore, I raised this issue in negotiations with the President of Russia. He absolutely supported me in all aspects. And he said, we need to revise all our treaties and agreements - of Belarus and Russia - to see what interstate legal act needs to be adopted now to ensure the full security of Belarus."

"In general, it sounded like this during the negotiations: in case of aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation protects Belarus as its own territory. These are the security (guarantees. - Ed. BELTA) we need," the President stated.

Alexander Lukashenko once again emphasized that the West has forgotten about its obligations. "What security guarantees can America provide us? None. Other than fueling aggression against us, as we see now. We need full security guarantees from our fraternal Russia. And so, as Putin and I parted, we touched upon this issue again and agreed that you would come with specialists today and we would seriously discuss this issue in the context of the situation that is developing around us today. Including the special military operation. Therefore, I thank you for coming to us. I think today we will discuss all issues concerning our bilateral relations and the situation developing in Belarus and Russia," said the head of state.

Another topic that Alexander Lukashenko discussed with Sergei Shoigu concerns combat training and the coordination of the joint union grouping, which includes Russian servicemen stationed in Belarus. "I am grateful to you that, despite all the difficulties, you are keeping several thousand Russian servicemen here. We have joined this process as much as necessary. And together with your officers, we are training these guys, conducting combat coordination. We are training them as it should be. Because we should not relax here. You see that the Poles and Lithuanians have started to stir in our direction. Therefore, this is a good support and pillar for the Belarusian army, which is defending the Union State on the western flank," the President stated.

In turn, Sergei Shoigu confirmed that he arrived following the agreements reached by the presidents. "I naturally have the appropriate authority and instructions from our President, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. I would like to express special gratitude to your Ministry of Defense, and to you personally. Five training grounds have been provided on the territory of Belarus. They are equipped and furnished. Moreover, a sufficient number of instructors – officers of the Belarusian Armed Forces – are involved in training our reinforcements, among others. Indeed, there is a rather large grouping here. And we, of course, will consider all issues of its further stay, training, and perhaps, expansion of the scope that you discussed with Vladimir Vladimirovich today," the minister said.

Source: belta.by