Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday called “stupid” the call by Poland and the Baltic countries to expel the paramilitary group Wagner from its territory following the death of Yevgeny Prigojine in a plane crash.
“The leaders of Poland and the Baltic States are stirring up hysteria about the presence” of Wagner in Belarus, declared Mr. Lukashenko before his Security Council, denouncing “unreasonable and stupid requests”.
He accused Warsaw and the Baltics of making “demands” even as they “increase their military budgets and attract large military formations to the borders”.
“There should not be a single foreign soldier in Poland, Lithuania or other Baltic states,” insisted Mr. Lukashenko, referring to the forces deployed within the framework of NATO.
The Belarusian president, a close ally of Moscow, assured that he was ready to “restore relations with (his) neighbors” but that his proposals were “welcomed by accusations and threats”.
Thousands of Wagner fighters had traveled to Belarus after their abortive rebellion in Russia in June. In particular, they participated in the training of local soldiers, with Minsk’s agreement.
After the recent death of Wagner’s boss in a plane crash, Lukashenko said he wanted to keep up to 10,000 of the group’s fighters in his country.
On Monday, Warsaw and the Baltic countries for their part demanded that Belarus “immediately expel” the Wagner group from its territory, which they consider a threat to their own security.
Sign of the quarrel, Poland and Lithuania have erected fences along their borders with Belarus and Warsaw plans to deploy up to 10,000 soldiers there. Moscow, for its part, has announced the deployment of nuclear warheads in Belarus.
Lithuania closed two of the six border crossings with its pro-Russian neighbor on August 18 in response to Wagner’s presence.
08/31/2023 18:04:18 – Moscow (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
