Aleksei Skabei, Head of the Department for International Military Cooperation and Peacekeeping Activities of the Command of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus, has said that Belarusian peacekeepers are ready to be deployed to Ukraine if required.

Source: Radio Liberty, citing Skabei in an interview with Belarusian state-owned TV channel STV

Details: Skabei said that a mission in Ukraine is possible only with the consent of the parties.

Quote: "This does not depend on us alone. It depends on how the parties decide between themselves. We stand ready to provide assistance at the request of both parties – we are always ready."

More details: Belarus has supported Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine since February 2022 by providing logistics, military bases and airfields for attacks. Self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko openly backs Russia's actions. Belarus has also been accused of helping Russia deport Ukrainian children.

Background:

• In January, Lukashenko said that only Belarusian peacekeepers could ensure normal relations between Ukraine and Russia, but Minsk will not send them to the front line.
• Later in February, he said that Russia will never agree to the deployment of EU peacekeepers in Ukraine and accused the EU leadership of "aggressiveness".
• According to media reports, the United Kingdom and France have prepared a plan to deploy up to 30,000 European troops in Ukraine.
• The US voiced support for a European mission but has declined to take part directly.
• Bloomberg reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had discussed the possible deployment of troops to Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

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