President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, whom the U.S. and EU do not recognize as legally elected, instructed the border troops to completely close the border with Ukraine.
He said this on Friday at a solemn meeting to mark the Independence Day, the BelTA state news agency reports.
“A huge amount of weapons is coming from Ukraine to Belarus. Therefore, I instructed the border troops to completely close the border with Ukraine,” Lukashenko said.
He said that terrorist “sleeper” cells, the so-called self-defense formations, had been detected in Belarus.
“Terrorist sleeper cells, so-called self-defense formations have been detected today. These cells intend to overthrow the government at a specified date. They don’t know what date yet: our nation has yet to accept it,” Lukashenko said.
According to him, Germany, Ukraine, the United States, Poland and Lithuania are involved in this.
Belarus could host Olympic Games together with Russia or Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.
“Of course, it is hard for us to compete with giants, but we can host the Olympics together with, let us say, Ukrainians or Russians,” the BelTA state news agency cited Lukashenko as saying in Brest.
Facilities for the Olympic Games are ready in Belarus, he said. “We’re going to build the national soccer stadium and a facility for water sports now, and soccer remains. Russia has the infrastructure for soccer. We can easily host the Olympics with them. And here, in Belarus, we can host mostly the Summer Olympics with the help of Russians or Ukrainians. They have facilities we’re lacking,” Lukashenko said.
Belarus hosted the Second European Games in June.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will take part in the plenary session of the first Forum of the Regions of Belarus and Ukraine, which will be held in Gomel on Friday, the presidential press service of Belarus has reported. “It is expected that President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will also attend the event. Before the participation and speeches at the main platform of the forum, the presidents hold a one-to-one meeting. The main focus of the talks will be on trade development, economic and investment cooperation of the two countries through the prism of the potential of direct contacts at the regional level,” the press service noted.
They also informed that following the results of the forum, the signing of a number of documents and the conclusion of agreements aimed at expanding cooperation in the whole range of areas of Belarusian-Ukrainian cooperation are expected.
