Don't push nuclear-armed Russia into a corner, says Lukashenko - Reuters

Oct 14 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned Ukraine and the West connected Friday not to unit his state Russia into a corner, saying Moscow had atomic weapons for a reason.

In extracts of an interrogation with the American TV transmission NBC released by Belarus's authorities quality agency, Lukashenko said: "The astir important happening is, don't thrust your interlocutor and adjacent your hostile into a corner. So you mustn't transverse those lines - those reddish lines, arsenic the Russians say. You can't transverse them."

Concern has mounted successful the West that Russian President Vladimir Putin whitethorn edifice to atomic weapons since a bid of defeats for his forces successful Ukraine swung the momentum of the warfare successful Kyiv's favour.

"As for atomic weapons, immoderate limb is simply a limb created for something," Lukashenko was quoted arsenic saying.

"Russia has intelligibly outlined its position: God forbid determination volition beryllium an onslaught connected the territory of the Russian Federation; successful that event, Russia tin usage each types of weapons if necessary."

Lukashenko has nary accidental successful Putin's subject decisions but his comments served to underline the heightened authorities of East-West hostility arsenic the warfare nears the extremity of its eighth month.

TERRORISM ALERT

Putin unilaterally proclaimed 4 Ukrainian regions arsenic portion of Russia past month, a determination overwhelmingly condemned this week by the U.N. General Assembly, and has said helium volition support Russia's "territorial integrity" by each means, including atomic weapons if necessary.

Lukashenko said separately helium had placed Belarus successful what helium called a authorities of heightened coercion alert due to the fact that of tensions connected its borders.

He linked that determination to his announcement connected Monday that helium had ordered Belarusian troops to deploy with Russian forces adjacent Belarus's confederate borderline with Ukraine. The Belarusian defence ministry said the "Russian constituent of the Regional Grouping of Forces" would commencement arriving successful Belarus successful the adjacent fewer days.

Allied with Moscow and wedged betwixt Russia, Ukraine and 3 NATO countries, Belarus allowed Russia to usage its territory arsenic 1 of the launchpads for its Feb. 24 penetration of Ukraine.

Its latest troop movements person raised interest successful Kyiv and the West that Lukashenko whitethorn beryllium astir to perpetrate his service to enactment Russia's faltering warfare effort.

Political analysts say that is an unappealing enactment for him but that helium whitethorn not beryllium successful a presumption to garbage if Russian President Vladimir Putin demands it.

Belarus depends connected Russia politically and economically, and Putin's enactment helped Lukashenko past wide pro-democracy protests successful 2020. Lukashenko crushed the demonstrations and each starring absorption figures person been jailed oregon forced to fly abroad.

Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Gareth Jones

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.