Baltic states requested from Belarus detailed information about the military build-up at Union Resolve 2022 drills under Vienna Document

February 11, BPN. The Baltic states requested from Belarus detailed information about the military build-up at Belarusian-Russian joint military exercises Union Resolve 2022, the press service of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry reports.

It is noted that Lithuania took advantage of the Mechanism for Consultation and Co-operation as regards unusual Military Activities, as stipulated in Chapter 3 of the OSCE Vienna Document 2011.

“The Baltic states have submitted questions to Belarus about the unusual troop build-up for exercises in the territory of Belarus, the military equipment used, the number of Russian and Belarusian soldiers participating, and the planned return to their usual deployment location,” the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry reported.

The request was sent on February 9. The Vienna Document obliges Belarus to respond within 48 hours, which expire on February 11.

“We urge Belarus to respect its international commitments and to provide information on the nature and scale of the military drills. Avoidance to transparently provide information on the military exercises and the deployment of Russian troops in Belarus, and so uphold the international commitments, raises serious concerns over aggressive intentions of Russia and Belarus,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.

Union Resolve 2022 military exercises are held from February 10 to 20 as part of the Union State’s response forces inspection. Since mid-January, Russia has been actively transferring troops and military equipment to Belarus, including a division of Pantsir-S surface-to-air missile systems, Su-35S multirole fighters, Su-25SM attack aircrafts, and the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system.

On the first day of the drills, at the initiative of the US side, Gen. Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces and Viktar Hulevič, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus had a phone conversation. The sides discussed “regional security related issues of concern.”

Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. Dave Butler noted that the conversation “facilitated communication between both leaders to reduce chances of miscalculation [of the situation] and gain perspectives on current European security.” The sides also “agreed to keep the specific details of their conversation private.”

The US and EU countries fear that some of the Russian troops would remain in Belarus. Belarusian and Russian officials claim that all troops would return to their places of permanent deployment after the exercise.

The US Department of State also expressed concern that Russia could use troops stationed in Belarus to attack Ukraine from the north. Viktar Hulevič, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus said earlier that the exercises were “purely defensive” and posed “no threat to the European community as a whole, or to neighboring countries in particular.”

The official representative of the US Department of State Ned Price stated that Belarusian authorities have been warned of the consequences should Minsk be in any way involved in Russian aggression against Ukraine. US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried repeated the warning on February 3 in a phone conversation with Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makiej.