Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday the Kremlin had set up a “reserve police force” to support Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, although it would not be deployed unless unrest there spun out of control.
The remarks were the strongest signal yet that Russia is prepared to use force if needed in Belarus, its closest ally among former Soviet republics. The comments triggered a swift response from Belarus’s NATO-member neighbour Poland, which demanded Moscow jettison any such plan.
“We have of course certain obligations towards Belarus, and the question Lukashenko raised was whether we would provide the necessary help,” Putin told state television.
“I told him Russia would fulfil all its obligations. Alexander Grigorivich (Lukashenko) asked me to create a reserve police force and I have done that. But we agreed this would not be used unless the situation got out of control.”
The Belarusian opposition’s Coordination Council said it was unacceptable for Russia to have set up armed forces of any kind for use in Belarus and that such a move “violated international law”.
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