Russian military forces headed to Belarus, after President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Moscow, announced on Monday that the two countries would hold joint military exercises next month.
This step, which came without prior notice to the countries of the region, as usual, has raised the level of tension with the West, which fears a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The official, who asked not to be named, said that the size of the Russian forces was “far beyond what we expect from normal maneuvers.”
“The timing is noteworthy, and of course raises fears of Russia’s intention to deploy forces in Belarus under the guise of joint military exercises with the aim of a possible attack against Ukraine,” he added.
The official pointed out that the proposed amendments to the Constitution of Belarus in a referendum scheduled for next month may allow the Russian military presence to become permanent.
He continued, “These draft constitutional amendments may refer to Belarus’ plan to allow conventional and nuclear Russian forces to be stationed on its territory,” stressing that this represents “a challenge to European security and may require a response.”
The US official pointed out that “Lukashenko over time has become more and more dependent on Russia for various types of support. We know that he does not receive this support for free.”
“It is clear that Russia is taking advantage of Lukashenko’s weakness and demanding that he have a few accumulated debt securities,” he added.
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