Belarus preparing for war to avoid it, Lukashenko says, as foreign media report on military readiness

"We are preparing for war in order to avoid it." Review of foreign media for the week.

The head of state this week tasked the security bloc with being prepared for the most negative scenario while preventing a new escalation of aggression. The President's statements were widely covered by foreign media.

📰 Xinhua 🇨🇳: "Alexander Lukashenko has called on all security and law enforcement agencies to be ready for the most negative scenario."

📰 The Star 🇲🇾: "The President stated that Belarus has already developed possible scenarios and must remain prepared for potential aggressive actions by neighboring countries, while avoiding steps that could be interpreted as aggression."

📰 Fakti 🇧🇬: "Belarus does not intend to attack other countries but is preparing for a possible war in order to avoid it, the President said."

📰 Wirtualna Polska 🇵🇱: "Lukashenko said Western partners have recently been closely monitoring the situation in the Belarusian armed forces. He noted that the scale of inspections conducted by Belarusian authorities is attracting significant interest."

The head of state also commented on the news from the Latvian border.

📰 Interia 🇵🇱: "Lukashenko denied Belarus's involvement in the incident at the Latvian border… According to the Belarusian leader, the incident was fabricated by Latvia to obtain additional funding from the EU."

Polish media paid attention to the statement by the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding NATO's 'Victory Concept'.

📰 Wirtualna Polska 🇵🇱: "NATO has presented an action plan in case of war. Belarus expresses strong protest. Minsk claims the plan includes the possibility of preemptive strikes on Belarusian territory using drones and ground robotic systems."

The ongoing CSTO military exercises in Belarus also drew attention from foreign press.

📰 Xinhua 🇨🇳: "The CSTO has launched two joint military exercises in Belarus involving more than 1,500 servicemen."

📰 Special Eurasia 🇮🇹: "CSTO and Belarusian representatives presented the exercises as part of the annual joint training program and as a tool to strengthen operational interoperability, maintain readiness of collective forces, and improve coordination among member states. This justification reflects concerns over the deteriorating military-political situation in the region and the need to maintain effective collective security mechanisms."

The head of state has repeatedly emphasized that the situation in our region is far from simple. But no matter how tense the situation becomes, the Belarusian people’s commitment to peace, dialogue, and pragmatic cooperation remains unwavering.

📰 RMF24 🇵🇱: "Lukashenko stated that Belarus should cooperate with its neighbors, including Poland. 'When we not only look at each other through gun sights but start cooperating economically, it suggests that we might manage to avoid war,' the President said."