April 9, Pozirk. NATO should respond symmetrically to an increase in the number of Russian and Belarusian troops during the Zapad exercise, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys told LRT today. The maneuvers are scheduled to take place in Belarus in September.
Lietuvos rytas quoted his remarks, citing ELTA.
According to the diplomat, the scale of Zapad exercises has always been far larger than declared.
Russia may do its Ukraine homework with more forces and see how it can be directed against NATO, he warned.
In January, the head of Belarus’ international military cooperation department, Valeryj Ravienka, said the maneuvers would involve more than 13,000 troops.
Minsk has already notified all the Vienna Document participating states of planning to host the drill, its timeframe and troops involved, he added.
On January 30, the Collective Security Treaty Organization said that in addition to Zapad-2025, rapid reaction, intelligence and logistics exercises will be held in Belarus in September.
In February 2022, Belarus and Russia held the Allied Resolve exercise in Belarus. Despite assurances by then-Foreign Minister Uładzimir Makiej that all Russian troops would leave Belarus after the maneuvers, the contingent attacked Ukraine on February 24.
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