Despite its latest steps, the West is very afraid about the possibility of a new large-scale war or a nuclear disaster, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with the 60 Minutes talk show on Rossiya-1 television.
"I have met with people playing an important role in this, who make radical, drastic and final decisions in the event of an `if’,’" Lukashenko said. "What they fear most is a nuclear disaster, and they have been sincere about this. They are afraid of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. It’s only natural," he added.
Minsk does not want things to play out that way either, Lukashenko assured. "We are not seeking that either, and we, too, are afraid. Because this, experts say, could cause a global catastrophe, and this planet may deorbit, if all these weapons explode," he maintained.
According to Lukashenko, Russia may use nukes, if the enemy invades its territory or if this act of aggression threatens the existence of the state. He urged talks as long as there is an opportunity for them, but the West, he said, has been banning Ukraine from engaging in any.
"I am confident and I have it on good information that the overwhelming majority in Ukraine, including the military who has been fighting and getting killed over there, would like to stop this war now," the Belarusian leader maintained. "But then there are those hyped-up top-level officials led by [Ukrainian President] Volodya Zelensky. He is a `hero’ now, touring the globe. He is being kissed, hugged and all that. I thought he was smarter," Lukashenko lamented.
Lukashenko outlines how Belarus could enter Ukraine conflict
Belarus is prepared to join the conflict in Ukraine if the republic ever becomes the target of aggression, President Alexander Lukashenko declared on Wednesday. He noted that his country had enough power to respond to any serious intervention.
Speaking to the Russia 1 TV channel, Lukashenko explained that his country was peaceful and had had enough wars throughout its history. However, he also warned that it would not hesitate to respond and “strongly enter [the conflict] if aggression is committed against us.”
“We have enough power to respond,” the president said, adding that he will not allow the ten million Belarusians and three million Russians who live in the country to be torn to pieces. “That’s 13 million people. I am responsible for them,” he noted.
When asked to define what he meant by “aggression,” Lukashenko clarified that his primary ‘red line’ was a full-scale incursion into Belarus, adding that he believes such an attack could potentially come from Poland, Ukraine, or any of the Baltic states.
Minsk had previously accused NATO members bordering Belarus of keeping an excessive number of troops in positions that could indicate preparation for an attack.
The president noted, however, that he did not consider attacks such as those committed by Ukrainian saboteurs on the Belarusian Machulishchy air field and Russia’s Belgorod Region this year to be genuine acts of aggression and called them mere “provocations” that were being dealt with.
“This is a very tangible, strong provocation, where we are not doing enough. But now we have begun to address it and have delved into this nasty, unpleasant problem,” Lukashenko said, noting that the saboteurs are “already afraid of coming in groups.”
The Belarusian leader also pointed out that he had never been asked by Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the military operation in Ukraine.
Elsewhere in the interview, Lukashenko also explained that the deployment of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus was done at the “friendly request” of Minsk and was not in any way imposed by Moscow. He stated that he had asked for the weapons as a deterrent and warned that Belarus would not hesitate to use them if it was attacked.
“Nobody has ever gone to war with a nuclear state, and I don’t want anyone to go to war with us," he said. "Is there such a threat? Yes. I have to counter this threat."
Sri Lanka, Russia’s Rosatom to Build Nuclear Plant Together - Ambassador
Sri Lanka has reached a deal with Russian nuclear giant Rosatom to build a nuclear power plant that may run two reactors and generate 300 megawatts of energy, the Sri Lankan ambassador in Russia said Wednesday.
"We will go for a nuclear power plant … There are options actually … two sources, 300 megawatts," Janitha Abeywickrema Liyanage told Sputnik on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The ambassador said that having its own power plant would allow the Indian Ocean island nation to overcome the energy crisis. The government will speed up the approval process to begin the construction in the near future.
"There is a proposal and there is approval to follow the procedures from the Sri Lankan cabinet, and the International Atomic Energy Agency is also now looking at it, and they have set up certain working groups. Rosatom has set up four working groups in four different areas," she said.
Russia not to extend grain deal unless agreements enforced by July 17 — Lavrov
The extension of the grain deal is out of the question unless the package of agreements is enforced, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), according to a statement released on the ministry’s website.
"I have to state again that any further extension is out of the question unless the Istanbul package [of agreements] is enforced as it was initiated by UN Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres], by July 17," he said.
Meanwhile, Lavrov noted that the package of agreements signed on July 22, 20222, is still being implemented only regarding the supply of Ukrainian grain. "Part of the package on the Russian ammonia is not working," he said, adding that "there is no progress either in the implementation of the Russia-UN memorandum aimed at ensuring the real withdrawal of Russian agriculture products and fertilizers from illegal unilateral Western sanctions."
The Ukrainian part of the grain deal has long been turned into a commercial project, with only around 3% of grain flowing to poorest countries, Lavrov stressed. "The Ukrainian part of the Black Sea initiative turned into a commercial project long ago. The statistics of the Joint coordination center shows that only around 3% flow to poorest countries," the minister said.
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