Belarus President Warns of Ukraine-like Conflict in Armenia Amidst EU Pivot

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has issued a stark warning to Armenia, advising Yerevan to exercise extreme caution to prevent a situation akin to the conflict in Ukraine from unfolding within its borders. Lukashenko stated that if any territory were attacked, the war in Ukraine would assume a “completely different nature.” He emphasized that no Belarusian soldiers have been or will be present in Ukraine and suggested that European countries are pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to make threatening statements against Belarus.

The Belarusian leader’s advisory to Yerevan follows a period of heightened tensions in the relationship between Armenia and Moscow. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Russia’s Ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, had been summoned to Moscow in response to Yerevan’s steps toward closer alignment with the European Union. The ministry further indicated that Armenia’s pivot toward the EU is detrimental to cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union.

The efforts by the government of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to move closer to the European Union have significantly strained relations with Moscow. Armenia maintains extensive trade and economic ties with Moscow and its allies within the Eurasian Economic Union, and a severance of these connections could inflict severe damage on its economy.