The Kremlin has dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s warning that Russia could be preparing to attack a NATO country from Belarus, saying the allegation does not merit a response.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the comments were an attempt to escalate tensions and prolong the conflict in Ukraine.
“Such a statement is nothing other than an attempt at further incitement aimed at prolonging the war and escalating tensions,” Peskov told reporters. “We do not think that such a statement deserves any comment.”
Zelenskiy said on Friday that Russia was seeking to draw Belarus deeper into the war in Ukraine and was considering using Belarusian territory as a launchpad for potential operations against northern Ukraine or NATO members.
Belarus shares borders with Ukraine to the south and with NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia to the north and west. The country has already been used by Russia as a staging ground for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and currently hosts Russian tactical nuclear weapons.
On Monday, Belarus’ Defence Ministry said its armed forces, in cooperation with Russia, had begun exercises aimed at testing readiness to deploy nuclear weapons. It said the drills were not directed against any other country and did not pose a regional security threat.
The Kremlin did not address Zelenskiy’s warning directly, reiterating only that it saw no need to comment on the allegation.
