Lukashenko met with Shoigu in Minsk

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met in Minsk, about this reported Belarusian agency “BelTA”. The Russian Defense Minister flew to Minsk to discuss security issues in Belarus following a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State.

Lukashenka, in turn, explained what security guarantees Belarus needs in the event of external aggression. “In case of aggression against Belarus, the Russian Federation defends Belarus as its own territory. These are the ones we need [гарантии] security,” he said.

The Belarusian leader also drew attention to the fact that Western countries do not fulfill the agreements on security guarantees that were given under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for the withdrawal of nuclear weapons. “Naturally, you know that the Western states have trampled on all these treaties, agreements and statements, and there is no security. I meant economic security as well. Well, what kind of economic security if they impose sanctions against us, Russia?! Therefore, I raised this issue in negotiations with the President of Russia. He was absolutely supportive in every way. And, he says, we need to revise all our treaties and agreements – Belarus and Russia,” Lukashenka added.

Meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State passed April 6 in the Kremlin. Then Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a decision had been made to prepare a security concept for the Union State, which would formulate the tasks of “interaction in the light of the growing tension on the external borders of our states and the sanctions and information war unleashed against us.” After that, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov informedthat the concept of security of the Union State will be worked out “in a short time”.