Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said that the likelihood of a military conflict against Belarus and the aggressor country Russia, which could subsequently develop from regional to global, is “extremely high.” He said this on June 3 at a meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CSTO member states, commenting on the situation in the Eastern European region, he was quoted by the department’s Telegram channel.
According to Khrenin, Minsk is recording a large-scale rearmament of the armies of European countries, an increase in NATO's capabilities to transport troops to the eastern borders of the Alliance, as well as the preservation of a significant military presence of the United States and NATO in Poland and the Baltic countries.
The Belarusian minister claims that about 21 thousand military personnel are currently stationed on the territory of these states, participating in operations to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. In addition, he drew attention to the growth in military spending of the Alliance countries, which, according to him, has already exceeded $1.6 trillion a year.
“Assessing the current situation in the Eastern European region, we note that the likelihood of a military conflict against the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, members of the CSTO, as well as the possibility of its subsequent transformation from regional to global, is extremely high,” Khrenin said.
He also called on the CSTO countries to consolidate efforts, speed up decision-making and more active participation in joint military exercises.
