Washington, DC (VG) Ukrainian authorities claim that Belarus can enter Ukraine militarily on the side of Russia in a very short time. The pretext is to launch Russian air strikes on Belarusian villages, according to the Ukrainians.
On Friday, the Ukrainian army accused Russian planes of firing at Belarusian border villages from Ukrainian airspace, the news agency reported. Reuters.
Ukraine claims that Russia is trying to draw Belarus into the conflict militarily – by blaming the Ukrainians and giving the Belarusians an excuse to attack.
“This is a protest! The goal is to involve the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus in the war with Ukraine! »The Ukrainian Air Force wrote in a statement on Friday.
At a news conference Friday evening in Norwegian time, a close supporter of the Ukrainians, the United States, said they had no assurances of such an air attack or an imminent invasion.
– We can’t confirm that. “We’ve seen what is written about this publicly, but we have nothing to back it up,” says Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
Russia did not respond to Reuters’ inquiries.
The head of Ukraine’s National Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said they would fight back if Belarusian soldiers crossed the border.
The United States says it has no evidence that Belarusian forces are now inside Ukraine.
It does not mean that it cannot or will happen or that they can participate in a way that we may not see. Kirby says all I can say is what we see now.
The Pentagon spokesman adds that new tones have arrived from Ukraine’s neighbors over the past week, referring to the statements of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
– We noticed that the President of Belarus stated a few days ago in the state media, that it is important for him that the Belarusian forces defend the rear of the Russian forces if they are attacked. The supply line, if you will, says Kirby.
– This is the first time he has said anything about Belarus’ participation. But as I said, we have no indication now that they did or that it is up to them.
Tougher penalties
The United States government recently under pressure Domestic policy to do more for the Ukrainians.
US President Joe Biden announced on Friday that Russia will lose its status as a preferred trading partner. This allows for stronger customs protection against goods from the country.
He announced that he would ban the import of many Russian goods, including vodka, diamonds, caviar and other seafood.
He also said that Russia would pay a heavy price if it used chemical weapons, before rushing by helicopter to a Democratic rally in Philadelphia.
The US Congress has taken the weekend, but a number of Ukraine-related debates are scheduled for this week.
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