Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Tuesday that Lithuania exaggerates incidents involving the violation of airspace by smugglers’ balloons. At the same time, he emphasized that Belarus does not want a war with Lithuania, informs TASR according to the report of the Belta agency.
- Alexander Lukashenko declared that Lithuania exaggerates the balloon incidents.
- Belarus does not want a war with Lithuania, Lukashenko claims.
- Lithuania claims that Belarusian smugglers use balloons for smuggling.
- Lithuania describes the incidents as a hybrid attack by Belarus.
- Lukashenko emphasizes that neither side needs war.
Lukashenko commented on the topic during the meeting of the Security Council in Minsk after Lithuania declared a national state of emergency on Tuesday due to fears of a threat to public safety. The Lithuanian government claims that the balloons are sent across the border by Belarusian cigarette smugglers, and he refers to it as a hybrid attack. The country blames Lukashenko for deliberately not taking action against smugglers.
“Lithuania’s accusations are really unbelievable and unrealistic. Even if, as they claim, 200 balloons crossed the border, (or maybe 20 or 50)… I have spoken to the pilots and they have confirmed that this is not a problem. The issue is exaggerated and politicized. The question is why? Do they really want to fight?Lukashenko emphasized, according to Belta, and noted that the situation has already been seriously discussed.
According to the Belarusian head of state, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Estonia do not need war. “We’ve fought enough. We’ve lost a lot of people. There are still generations that have experienced war. We don’t need war,” he declared.
