Minsk touts self-reliance, evasion of “arms race”

December 1, BPN. Belarus should stand on its own two feet and avoid entering an “arms race,” Defense Minister Viktar Chrenin has said, as quoted by Łukašenka-affiliated Telegram channel Pul Pervogo.

“We understand very well that if we get into an arms race now, as some states do, we can certainly cause trouble for our economy and cause certain social problems,” he said following Alaksandr Łukašenka’s meeting with defense officials in Minsk.

“That’s why the principle of reasonable sufficiency, the first necessity, is the basis. And the head of state stressed that it should be our only guidance. There shouldn’t be any excess, anything unnecessary. In this situation, we must primarily rely on our strength and readiness to defend our country,” he added.

On October 15, the defense ministry in Minsk said that first trains carrying Russian troops as part of the joint regional group of forces arrived in Belarus. The regional group was formed to enhance Union State border security, it said. “This decision was dictated by ongoing activity in the border areas,” it added.

On February 24, Russia launched a full-scale war against the Ukrainian people. The authorities in Minsk deny that Belarusian troops participate in hostilities. At the same time, the territory of Belarus was actively used by the Russians to attack Ukraine at the outset of the invasion and in later periods.