Belarus' Lukashenko: Crimea Legally Russian
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In an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Belarusian president Lukashenko clarifies his stance on Crimea.
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Belarus' Lukashenko backs Russia on Crimea.
In an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti on Tuesday, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko provoked Ukrainian anger with his statement: Crimea is de facto Russian.
In 2014, Russia reclaimed Crimea from the Ukrainian grasp; although Belarus and Russia hold an alliance, Belarus was not quick to recognize Crimea as Russian territory. However, in the interview, Lukashenko made a clear stance on the matter.
“After the referendum, Crimea also became de jure Russian,” Lukashenko told RIA, referring to the 2014 Crimea status referendum. Although there was overwhelming support for Crimea's integration into Russia, the West deemed the referendum "invalid."
In the interview, Lukashenko said he awaits Russia's invitation to the Crimean peninsula, and that such a visit would lead to Belarus' recognition of Crimea as part of Russia.
Furthermore, Lukashenko said that Belarus is ready to back Russia over Ukraine in case of any aggression from Kyiv, saying “I will do everything to make Ukraine ours. It is our Ukraine."
"If Russia faces aggression from Ukraine, we will be in close contact, economically, legally, and politically with Russia, and this is the main thing."
However, for Ukraine, Crimea "is not a field of compromises," as put by Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba. "The potential recognition of the occupied Crimea by Belarus will be a point of no return in our bilateral relations, and we will act respectively."
Nuclear weapons and Poland
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced Tuesday that his country would offer Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory in case NATO deployed nuclear weapons in Poland.
Lukashenko warned Poland against carrying out its threats to close its border with his country, warning that he is more than willing to stop the transit of Russian gas through Belarus to Europe in response.
He pointed out that closing the border will have more repercussions on Europe than on Belarus and stressed that his country's interest lies with Russia, China, and the East.
