Lukashenko suggests tit-for-tat military steps to Putin in response to West actions

It is necessary to take retaliatory steps in the military sphere in response to actions of the West. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the relevant statement as he met with President of Russia Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on 25 June, BelTA has learned. Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “We are very concerned about training flights of USA and NATO aircraft, which are training to carry nuclear warheads. It is very stress-inducing for us. This is why I ask you to consider a tit-for-tat response to these things. Without overdoing it. They are training to carry nuclear warheads. Please, help us at least adjust the aircraft we have for carrying nuclear payloads. I am not saying that we or you will transport nuclear ammunition over there tomorrow. But we cannot joke about it. We remember 1941 when they were lulling us into a false sense of security. And then we turned out to be unprepared for it. This is why it is a very serious situation for us. It is not the first time I've raised this issue with you. I know you've considered it in the Defense Ministry. I would like to hear how events are going to unfold here.” The Belarus president went on saying: “I am not trying to hide things, we have to be ready for everything even for the employment of the most serious weapons in order to protect our Fatherland from Brest to Vladivostok. It is our direct duty.” As for training flights of aviation of the USA and partners in NATO, Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked: “If they are training, they must be thinking about something. Otherwise, why would they train?”

“We should seriously discuss the set of matters concerning defense and security so that our people – Russians and Belarusians – would understand that they are under serious