Russian Ambassador to Minsk Dmitry Mezentsev said on the air of the RBC TV channel that Moscow has no plans to create a unified army with Belarus.
According to the diplomat, interaction on military issues with Minsk is currently being conducted within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which is sufficient to maintain the defense capabilities of both countries.
He believes that there are currently no reasons for the integration of the Russian and Belarusian armed forces, and talks about this are just speculation and “good fantasy.” “I don’t see any need for this today,” Mezentsev stressed.
At the same time, the ambassador stressed that the level of trust between Russia and Belarus remains high, which is demonstrated by the annual military exercises and “readiness to share special information”.
On March 5, it became known that Moscow and Minsk agreed to create three combat training centers for the joint training of their military personnel. They are planned to be located in the Nizhny Novgorod, Kaliningrad and Grodno regions.
Earlier, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that the work of uniting Russia and Belarus is absolutely unnecessary. He explained that Belarusians live “in their own apartment” and want to preserve their sovereignty.