European leaders have urged Russia not to intervene in neighboring Belarus as growing protests pose an unprecedented challenge to President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s 26-year rule.
As pressure from protesters mounted over the weekend, Lukashenko said he had received assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia was ready to provide “comprehensive assistance to ensure the security of Belarus.” He also claimed that NATO was amassing troops along the Belarus border—allegations that the trans-Atlantic alliance has denied. A Kremlin readout of a call between the two leaders said that Russia “reaffirmed its readiness to render the necessary assistance to resolve the challenges facing Belarus.”
