Russian troops will remain in Belarus indefinitely after the military drills that were due to end on Sunday, the Belarusian defence ministry announced.
“The presidents of the Republics of Belarus and the Russian Federation have decided to check the Union State’s response forces further,” Belarusian Defence Minister Viktar Khrenin said.
According to him, the military exercise was extended “due to the increase in military activity near the external border of the Union State and the aggravation of the situation in Donbass”.
The extended drills will cover “stages of the Union State defence, which were not covered in such detail by the training during the previous inspection period”.
“Its focus remains unchanged – it is designed to ensure an adequate response and de-escalation of military preparations by adversaries near our common borders,” Khrenin said.
The extension of Russian-Belarusian military drills in Belarus is “a clear preparation to attack Ukraine towards Kyiv and creeping annexation of Belarus”, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Twitter.
It is a “game-changer for security of NATO countries bordering Belarus”, including Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia, he added.
Russian troops stay on in Belarus violating all guarantees to withdraw. It's a clear preparation to attack Ukraine towards Kyiv & creeping annexation of Belarus: game-changer for security of NATO countries bordering Belarus: 🇱🇹🇵🇱🇱🇻! NATO reinforcements & EU sanctions are in order
— Gabrielius Landsbergis (@GLandsbergis) February 20, 2022
The presence of the Russian troops in Belarus also threatens the security of the whole of Europe, according to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
“The extension of the extremely large-scale Russian-Belarusian military manoeuvres on the territory of Belarus is a source of tension and a threat not only to neighbouring countries but also to the security of the whole of Europe,” Nausėda wrote on Facebook.
“The failure to comply with the publicly declared deadlines for military exercises is yet another flagrant violation of the obligations under the Vienna Convention,” he added.
NATO and Lithuania will do everything to ensure that Russia and Belarus do not have “the slightest inclination to test our resolve to uphold our commitment to each other’s security and defence”, the Lithuanian president said.
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