Kiev has dismissed the claim, arguing that it is part of a Russian plan to stage a provocation
FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian army soldier observes his position. © Diego Herrera / Europa Press via Getty Images
Belarus has accused Ukraine of “planning to conduct a strike” against the neighboring state, Kiev’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, dismissing the claim as a ploy by Moscow to “stage a provocation.”
According to Kiev, Igor Kisim, its envoy to Minsk, was summoned on Saturday night to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry and was served with an official note saying that “Ukraine is planning to conduct a strike on the territory of Belarus.”
In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated that it “categorically rejects the latest insinuations on the part of the Belarusian regime,” adding that it could be part of a Russian plan to “stage a provocation and further accuse” Kiev.
The ministry went on to say that Ukraine has never encroached on other countries’ territory, urging the Belarusian authorities to “cease kowtowing to the Kremlin’s whims and immediately stop supporting Russia in its aggression.”
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Earlier this week, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko blasted Kiev, claiming that the Ukrainian military is engaged in repeated attempts to stage provocations on the nation’s border. He noted that Kiev had amassed up to 15,000 troops near the border, while setting up positions and conducting reconnaissance against Belarus’ military.
Lukashenko insists that while Minsk is taking part in Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, its role is limited. He said that Belarus is preventing the conflict from spreading into its territory while making sure that “nobody would shoot Russians in the back from the territory of Belarus.”
On Friday, the Belarusian Defense Ministry stated that it has the capacity to field 500,000 trained troops “if the need arises.”
