Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed on Tuesday that there are oppositionists who want to turn his country into a "new Ukraine" and have it join NATO.
"I keep receiving more and more reports that those fugitives and their relatives are keeping things low-key, regaining strength ... Some kind of regiments or battalions are being formed in Ukraine to overthrow the authorities and tear off Belarus and join NATO," Lukashenko said during a meeting with Belarusian State Secretary of the Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich. "This is unacceptable," he added and insisted Minsk will not allow for something like that to happen.
Lukashenko also insisted Belarus should not "stab" Russian troops in Ukraine in the back. " And then again we should not be criticized for preparing to fight in Ukraine, etc. We have to protect our fatherland," he added.
