Kyiv has not yet made an official request for Minsk to withdraw Belarusian troops from the border with Ukraine, Belarus' Foreign Ministry claimed on Aug. 26, a day after Ukraine urged Belarus to withdraw its forces "to a distance greater than the firing range of Belarus' systems."
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry released a statement on Aug. 25 that Belarus is "concentrating a significant number" of weaponry and personnel at the border with Ukraine, including some former Wagner Group mercenaries.
The Foreign Ministry warned that "in case of a violation of Ukraine's state border by Belarus, our state will take all necessary measures to exercise the right to self-defense guaranteed by the UN Charter."
"We have not received any official requests from the Ukrainian side in any form," Anatoly Glaz, the spokesperson for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, claimed on Aug. 26.
"We only saw this message on the internet," Glaz told state news outlet Belta. "We would be grateful if someone could explain to us the logic of such statements."
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that Minsk is concentrating Special Operation Forces, as well as weaponry, including tanks, artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), air defense systems, and engineering equipment near Gomel.
The city of Gomel lies in southeastern Belarus, around 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border with Ukraine's Chernihiv Oblast.
"Conducting exercises in the border area and in close proximity to the nuclear power facility, the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, poses a threat to the national security of Ukraine and global security in general.
The Foreign Ministry warned Belarus "not to make tragic mistakes for their country under Moscow's pressure," and to immediately withdraw forces away from Ukraine's border.
Minsk is Moscow's closest ally and hosts Russian troops and missiles, but is not currently directly involved in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview on Aug. 15 that Belarus moved a third of its army to the border with Ukraine earlier in the summer.
Speaking to the Rossiya TV channel, Lukashenko claimed it was in response to a build-up of Ukrainian troops that had been prompted by a misinterpretation of preparations for Belarus's Independence Day celebrations on July 3.
He claimed that Ukraine keeps 120,000 troops on the border with Belarus which were then "boosted" with even more troops.
"In response, I had to redeploy almost a third of the army to reinforce the border," he added.
Lukashenko claimed that he later managed to speak to Ukrainian officials through special channels and the situation was resolved through diplomatic means, and both sides withdrew forces.
Elsa Court
