Russia attacking NATO via Belarus? Kremlin rejects allegations

Zelensky said on Friday that Russia is trying to draw Belarus deeper into the war in Ukraine and is considering plans to attack northern Ukraine or even a NATO country from Belarusian territory, Reuters reports.

“There is nothing in such a statement except an attempt to further inflame tensions in order to prolong the war and escalate it. We do not believe such a statement deserves any comment,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Belarus borders Ukraine to the south, and NATO members Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia to the north and west. Minsk authorities allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a launchpad for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Russian tactical nuclear weapons are also deployed in the country.

The Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that its armed forces, in cooperation with Russia, had begun exercises to test military readiness for the deployment of nuclear weapons.

The statement says the exercise is not directed against any other country and does not pose a security threat in the region.