Moscow will consider any military attack on Belarus as an attack on Russia, Moscow’s ambassador to Belarus, Mikhail Babich, said in an interview with the Belarus 1 television channel on Sunday.
Russia has expressed concerns over a Polish proposal to establish a permanent U.S. military base in the country, which borders Russia's Kaliningrad exclave as well as military ally Belarus. Polish President Andrzej Duda proposed naming the base “Fort Trump” during discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington in September.
“Of course, this is an alarming factor, and it should not be underestimated,” Babich said in comments about the proposed U.S. military base, adding that Belarus, which borders Poland, had also expressed concerns about the move.
“A military attack on Belarus will be regarded as an attack on Russia with all the resulting consequences” Babich said, before noting that Russia and Belarus have "an absolutely mutual understanding" on the issue.
"We have a regional grouping of troops and forces, and today all the components that are necessary for both defense and retaliation are in place," the ambassador said.
