Lukashenko warns Russian army could reach Moldova's border
The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has warned that the Russian army could reach the border of the Republic of Moldova if Ukraine does not agree to peace negotiations.
Lukashenko made the comments in an interview with a Ukrainian journalist, in which he also said that Russia has 250,000 volunteers armed with the most modern equipment.
"If Ukraine does not stop now, they will cut off access from the Republic of Moldova," Lukashenko said. "They will come through Transnistria and cut off Ukraine's access to the Black Sea from here."
Lukashenko's comments have been met with concern in Moldova, where the government has said it is taking them seriously.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and are in constant contact with our partners," said a statement from the Moldovan government.
Security experts in Moldova say that it is difficult to predict what the scenarios could be if the Russian army were to reach the Moldovan border.
"Neither of the two belligerent countries seems to have sufficient capacity and military potential to change this dynamic, which has entered a war of position," said Alexandru Flenchea, a security expert in Moldova.
"But as happens in a large-scale war, the risks of escalation are difficult to calculate, but they must be taken into account, any scenario," Flenchea said.
