Harare, Zimbabwe (AP) — Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Belarus was ready to provide more support to its close ally Russia in its war with Ukraine.
But Lukashenko stressed that Russia “does not need any help” for now.
“But if our Russian brothers need help, we are always ready to provide such assistance,” he said during a state visit to Zimbabwe, a southern African country that is also close to Russia. Told.
Via a translator, Lukashenko briefly answered a question about whether his country was under pressure to step up its support for Russia in its nearly year-long war with Ukraine.
Lukashenko did not specify what the support would entail.
Belarus allowed Russia to stage part of its invasion from its territory last February and has also been a launch pad for Russian missiles to Ukraine. But Belarus has not thrown its army into the war.
Russia and Belarus held joint military exercises on Belarusian territory this month Ukraine says it maintains troops along its border with Belarus to fend off potential aggression.
Pentagon says it doesn’t see Russian military movements Belarus indicates an imminent attack.
Also, the analyst said: If Belarus’ small and inexperienced forces are involved, the additional troops could help Moscow cut off some key transport routes, but they are unlikely to significantly support Russia’s position. low.
Lukashenko arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday A visit aimed at strengthening economic and political ties between the two countries.
According to Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the visit aims to promote “strong cooperation in politics, economy, mining, agriculture and disaster risk management”.
Belarus has provided agricultural machinery such as tractors, combines and trucks to Zimbabwe under a deal worth tens of millions of dollars after Zimbabwe’s President Emerson Mnangagwa visited Minsk in 2019.
On Tuesday, the two countries signed several agreements on everything from agriculture to taxation to education.
Lukashenko also suggested selling potash fertilizers to Zimbabwe, adding that despite Western sanctions, Belarus “has been able to sell large quantities of potash fertilizers.”
“There are countries ready to cooperate with Belarus,” he said.
Lukashenko’s visit to Zimbabwe comes on the heels of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s recent visit to Africa. Lavrov visited South Africa, Eswatini, Angola and Eritrea last week to mobilize support for Russia’s position and to share some of Russia’s historic ties with the continent in an effort to build support for Russia’s position and blame the West for the war in Ukraine. pulled out.
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