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Lukashenka reassures Kyiv over invasion fears

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has promised that no Russian troops will invade Ukraine through the Belarusian border, Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko said in a televised interview on March 16, BelaPAN said.

The renowned professional boxer, who leads the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform, said that he had had a telephone conversation with Belarusian Ambassador Valyantsin Vyalichka. "He had talked to Belarusian President Lukashenka who had asked him to say that there was no troop build-up on the Belarusian side of the border and that he guaranteed the inviolability of the Ukrainian-Belarusian border," said Mr. Klitschko.

The politician inspected crossings at Ukraine's Belarusian border, finding that Ukrainian border guards had taken an all-out effort to prevent Russian extremists from entering the country for the purpose of fomenting unrest.

Six Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter jets and three military transport aircraft landed at an airfield in Babruysk, Mahilyow region, on March 13, one day after Belarus invited Russia to deploy up to 15 additional warplanes in the Belarusian territory in response to increased NATO activity. Some observers described Belarus' move as a show of support for Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.