Kremlin troops are to withdraw
Macron: Belarus should not be a “vassal” of Moscow
02/27/2022, 05:45 am
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarus has served as a staging area for Moscow’s troops. French President Macron wants to stop this and is calling on ruler Lukashenko to expel the Russian units. At the same time, he warns against stationing Russian nuclear weapons in the country.
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko against allowing Russia to station nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil. The Elysée Palace announced this after a phone call between the two statesmen on Saturday.
As it was also said from the Elysée, Macron asked Lukashenko to arrange for the withdrawal of Russian troops from his soil as soon as possible. Belarus should not be Russia’s accomplice in its war against Ukraine, Macron said. Belarus – just like Ukraine – must not degenerate into a “vassal” of Russia. In the conversation, Macron emphasized the “brotherhood between the Belarusian and Ukrainian people,” it said. Belarusians “deserve better” than being “vassals” and “accomplices” of Russia.
Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine on Thursday morning. The troops also marched in from the north, coming from Belarus. According to information from Minsk and Moscow, they had held joint military exercises there with the Belarusian armed forces in the weeks before.
At the beginning of the invasion, the government in Minsk emphasized that it had only been informed of the attack plans by Moscow shortly beforehand. Belarusian armed forces are not involved in the operations, Lukashenko underlined. Nevertheless, Belarus has also been the target of international sanctions.
A referendum is being held in Belarus today on a constitutional amendment that would allow Lukashenko further terms in office and the future permanent stationing of Russian troops and nuclear weapons in the country.