Russia's military invasion of Belarus under the guise of bilateral treaty commitments is a possibility that cannot be ruled out, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said on Friday.
“We cannot exclude this invasion which may be covered by treaty obligations, but we see and we know that there are no legal, military or practical reasons for military intervention,” Linkevičius told reporters in Berlin when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's promise to provide military backing for Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Read more: New election the only way out of crisis in Belarus, Lithuanian FM says
In Berlin, EU foreign ministers are discussing possible sanctions against Belarusian officials responsible for vote-rigging and violence against peaceful protesters.
Linkevičius said that Lukashenko should be included into the EU's sanction blacklist.
“I believe he has to be on this list, but we will discus [it],” he told reporters. “Maybe there are some tactical reasons and maybe some other people have a different mind.”
Putin said on Thursday that Russia had set up a reserve group of law-enforcement officers that could be deployed to Belarus.
“It won't be used unless the situation starts spinning out of control” and unless “extremist elements [...] begin setting fire to cars, houses and banks, begin seizing administrative buildings” Putin said.
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