Ukraine: US concerned about Russian troop deployments to Belarus

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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko greets soldiers at Minsk Airport

Photo: Maxim Guchek/AP

The West fears a Russian invasion of Ukraine – and the US government believes that could also happen via Belarus.

The US State Department has now expressed concern in the face of a Russian troop deployment to Ukraine's northern neighbor.

"The timing is remarkable and, of course, it raises concerns that Russia may intend to deploy troops in Belarus under the guise of joint maneuvers with a possible attack on Ukraine from the north," a senior US official said.

She emphasized that Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko's "complicity" in such an attack would be "completely unacceptable".

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Russian tanks are transferred to Belarus by train

Photo: HANDOUT/AFP

The US government official did not provide any information about any knowledge of what kind of troops or weapons had been transferred to Belarus.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry had announced joint maneuvers with Russia for February.

The ministry published photos showing Russian tanks and military trucks on railway wagons.

"This is neither an exercise nor normal troop movement," the US State Department said.

Rather, it is "a show of force" aimed at triggering a crisis or creating a false pretext for a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Scholz warns Russia

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been smoldering for weeks. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called on Russia on Tuesday to reduce its troops on the border with Ukraine and again warned of "high costs" in the event of an invasion. When asked whether there would also be consequences for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the event of an invasion, Scholz (SPD) replied “that everything must be discussed if there is a military intervention against Ukraine”.

Negotiations between the US and Russia in the NATO-Russia Council and within the framework of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in the past week remained largely unsuccessful.

Baerbock then met President Zelenskyy and her counterpart Kuleba in Kiev on Monday before receiving Lavrov for her inaugural visit to Moscow the following day.

In Lavrov's presence, Baerbock campaigned for a speedy resumption of peace negotiations in the Ukraine conflict - at the same time Baerbock refused arms deliveries to Ukraine.

mrc/dpa