In the midst of speculation about a growing involvement of Belarus in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday that his army had shot down missiles fired from Ukraine.
“We are provoked.
I have to tell you that about three days ago, maybe more, we tried from Ukraine to hit military targets in Belarus Thank God our Pantsir anti-aircraft systems intercepted all missiles fired by Ukrainian forces “, he said, quoted by the state news agency Belta.
“I repeat to you, as I said more than a year ago, we have no intention of fighting in Ukraine”, he however assured.
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Since the Kremlin attack on Ukraine on February 24, Belarus has served as a rear base for Russian forces.
Russian troops had notably set off from Belarus to try to take the capital kyiv, before giving up at the end of March in the face of Ukrainian resistance and withdrawing.
Moscow to supply missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads
The regime of Alexander Lukashenko, under heavy Western sanctions, is very dependent militarily and economically on Russia.
Last Saturday the Russian president announced that Moscow would deliver "in the coming months" to Belarus Iskander-M missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
In statements that risk further straining relations between Moscow and Western countries, the two leaders have also indicated that they want to modernize the aviation of Belarus to make it capable of transporting nuclear weapons.
Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko also discussed the situation of the fertilizer market a week ago.
Russia and Belarus are among the world's top producers, but say Western sanctions against them in connection with Ukraine have affected their export capacities, amid growing concern over global food security.