MOSCOW, May 18 (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s claim that Russia is considering an attack on a NATO country from Belarus does not merit a response from Russia.
On Friday, Zelenskiy stated that Russia is trying to draw Belarus further into its war in Ukraine and evaluating plans to attack northern Ukraine or a NATO country from Belarusian territory.
Belarus is bordered by Ukraine to the south and NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia to the north and west. The country allowed Russia to use its territory as a launch pad for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and is home to Russian tactical nuclear weapons.
Asked about Zelenskiy’s claim, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: ‘This statement is nothing more than an attempt at further incitement aimed at prolonging the war and increasing tensions.’
“We don’t think such a statement merits any comment,” he told reporters.
On Monday, Belarus’ Defense Ministry said its armed forces, in cooperation with Russia, had begun an exercise to test the military’s readiness to deploy nuclear weapons. He said this was not intended to attack any other state and did not pose any threat to security in the region.
Continues after advertising
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov)
