There are no signs of a threat to Ukraine from Belarus, the Pentagon said on January 12. The United States does not see any signs of preparing any offensive operations.
“With regard to Belarus, we continue to closely monitor this region. We know that Russian troops have conducted exercises with Belarusian troops, but at the moment there are no signs of any offensive actions, ”said Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, during a briefing.
He noted that the United States is monitoring the movement of troops or equipment in the region, which “may cause concern.” So far, according to Ryder, nothing similar has been observed from Belarus.
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Ambassador to London Vadim Prystaiko said that Kyiv had redeployed part of its troops north towards the country’s border with Belarus. According to the diplomat, in this way it is possible to secure the link between Ukraine and the West.
Also in the Rivne region of Ukraine, which is located on the border with Belarus, began to build defensive fortifications. As the head of the region Vitaliy Koval said, people are preparing for defense.
In addition, on January 12, a commission of the Russian Ministry of Defense checked the quality of the combat coordination of the regional grouping of troops in Belarus.
On January 5, the head of the border control department of the State Border Committee of Belarus reported that provocations with the use of weapons by the Ukrainian military were recorded on the border of Ukraine and Belarus. He drew attention to the fact that the employees of the border control units do not react to provocations.
Back in December, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic, First Deputy Minister of Defense Viktor Gulevich spoke about alarming incidents on the border between Belarus and Ukraine. He stated that Minsk is most concerned about the border with Ukraine, the border service records violations of the border between the two countries from the Ukrainian side.