Alexander Lukashenko called into question the fulfillment of the order of Vladimir Putin

On Tuesday, President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, announced the inappropriateness of the placement of the Russian air base in his country. These words were heard a few weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Defense to hold negotiations with Belarusian colleagues on the deployment of a military facility of the Russian Federation. Sources of Kommersant claim that if the words of Mr. Lukashenko were transmitted correctly, then negotiations will be at risk of breaking.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
Photo: Dmitry Azarov, Kommersant / Buy photos

Mr. Lukashenko spoke about the airbase at a meeting with residents of the Minsk district (Minsk region). “I have recently been observing the cries of our opposition regarding the placement of the Russian air base in Belarus ... There has never been a question of this. I don't know anything about it. The person who should make this decision, and I do not know anything about it, ”said the president, answering citizens' questions. “And why should I create a base? Why should I import airplanes and pilots of other states here today? And what will they do? - the president continued to be perplexed. “I had no conversation with anyone.” It’s just surprising me and even to some extent outrages and offends me why it was Russians to throw in the media today? ” At the end of the conversation, he warned of the prepared provocations “from any side” and admonished: “Be very careful. Do not relax. " The performance of the Belarusian leader instantly ended up in the news reports of the BelTA state news agency and quickly diverged on the Internet.

Russian air base may appear in Belarus

For the first time, the question of creating a Russian air base in Belarus to cover the Western strategic direction was raised in April 2013 during the meeting of Alexander Lukashenko and Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu in Minsk. “We begin to consider the plan to create here (in Belarus.- “ Kommersant ” ) of the Russian aviation base with fighter aircraft, we hope that in 2015 an aviation regiment will appear here,” Sergei Shoigu told Mr. Lukashenko. But two days later, the Belarusian leader of the minister’s word denied, saying that it was not about creating an air base, but only about the supply of Russian aircraft to the armed forces of Belarus ( see Kommersant on April 29, 2013 ). The military explained the “Kommersant” by the president’s reluctance to complicate the already difficult relations with NATO countries. In October 2014, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Viktor Bondarev, said that Russia in 2016 would create a Su-27 fighter in Bobruisk. No one has refuted these words.

In September 2015, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the creation of the Russian air base on the territory of Belarus follows from the previously reached agreements “in the military sector within the Union State”. “The story began in 2009, then we were talking about decisions regarding the joint protection of borders and a joint projection system,” Mr. Medvedev explained, clarifying that the agreement on the air base is the implementation of these agreements. And on September 19, President Vladimir Putin signed an order, entrusting the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense to negotiate with Belarus and, upon reaching an agreement, sign an agreement on the Russian air base.

Militant milkman

Officially, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation was left by Mr. Lukashenko’s statements without comment. The Kommersant source in the operational military administration claims that negotiations on the creation of an air base with a full -fledged fighter regiment have never stopped for two years, although sometimes their intensity left much to be desired. The interlocutor of Kommersant notes that after the release of the presidential order, the Russian military and diplomats were counting on the intensification of negotiations and signing by the end of 2015 a solid document. “If the words of Alexander Lukashenko were conscious and Belarusian diplomats will adhere to the same position, then it is simply impossible to talk about the implementation of any agreements in the near future,” he complained.

A senior source of Kommersant in the Kremlin urged not to dramatize the situation: “Perhaps Alexander Grigoryevich (Lukashenko.- “ Kommersant ” ) wanted to say one thing, and his words were interpreted differently.” Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov from commenting “Kommersant” abstained on Tuesday.

Ivan Safronov

The first is not at the base