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The US warned Belarus on Tuesday that if it aids ally Russia in invading neighbouring Ukraine, it will face retaliation.
“We’ve also made it clear to Belarus that if its land is used to attack Ukraine, the US and our friends and partners will respond immediately and firmly,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
“If an invasion were to come from Belarus, if Russian troops were to station themselves permanently on their soil,” Price added, “NATO may likely have to reconsider our own force posture in the nations bordering Belarus.”
Belarus’ longtime strongman, Alexander Lukashenko, is a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has suppressed major protests questioning his election’s legitimacy.
Lukashenko declared last month that Russia will conduct military drills with Belarus, prompting the US to warn that nuclear weapons could be introduced into the country.
The decision comes as Russia deploys tens of thousands of troops along its Ukrainian border, prompting Western predictions of an invasion of the Western-oriented country.
