Belarus may become a target of Russia’s military aggression, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said in an interview with the Czech media outlet Respekt.
“Belarus is facing difficult times. A few years ago, I spoke to some Belarusian journalists; they did not believe me when I said that if they wanted to remain independent, they would face the very same war, the difficulties and the same hardships that we were going through. Perhaps, now they are less skeptical,” he stressed.
However, Vadym Prystaiko did not specify when, in his view, an armed conflict between Russia and Belarus might break out. “Of course, I still hope that I am wrong,” he said.
According to him, the Belarusians are ‘calm and patient’. However, the Ukrainians had also been calm and patient people until the enemy came and started to kill them, he noted.
“In this case, you [Belarusians] will also begin to kill. The enemy might be stronger, but what else is there for you to do?”
In his opinion, there are two options in the relations with Russia: “One can stay calm and reasonable with the help of foreign partners – and lose. Or one may start to fight [against the enemy] immediately.”
