MOSCOW. Feb 18 (Interfax) - The reason for conducting the Belarusian-Russian Union Resolve 2022 exercise lies in the growing military threat on the borders of the Union State, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said after talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.
"With regard to the exercise, I explained its essence. With the military danger growing on our borders and Ukraine being pumped with weapons, Belarus and Russia are forced to look for appropriate ways to repel potential attacks, including on their [Russia's], like Belarus', southern frontiers. And there is nothing surprising about us eyeing these frontiers in the south of Belarus, that's almost 1,500 kilometers to defend. We are looking for the points we are to defend primarily," Lukashenko said.
"We share with the Russian Federation a common air defense system and a common regional grouping of troops, i.e. a joint army, joint specialist-training centers, and finally, a joint doctrine of the Union State. And we never hid these documents and activities from anyone. So, the decision to conduct the exercise was conditioned by the situation. We conduct our exercises with maximum transparency, on our territory," the Belarusian leader said.