One of Russia's few remaining allies asked Moscow for guarantees that it would defend his country if it was attacked
- Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko asked Russia to defend it if attacked, state media reported.
- The embattled leader asked Russia to protect his country "as its own territory."
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has asked for President Vladimir Putin's assurance that Russia would defend his country in the event of an attack. This comes as tensions with the West continue following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.
Lukashenko met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Minsk on Monday, according to Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta.
In the meeting, Lukashenko requested that "in case of aggression against Belarus the Russian Federation protects Belarus as its own territory," the outlet reporting him as saying.
"We need such guarantees," he added.
As part of his statement, Lukashenko also disparaged Western security commitments.
Mykhailo Polodyak, a Ukrainian presidential advisor, dismissed Lukashenko's statements as "weird desires" that were akin to "an antelope asking for security guarantees in the crocodile's mouth."
Belarus is already seen by many Western observers as a puppet state of Russia, having a longstanding agreement to form a "Union state" whose terms have been the subject of negotiations for decades. In November 2021, the two countries agreed on an array of integrative measures, Radio Free Europe reported.
While Lukashenko has long resisted moves that would interfere with Belarus' sovereignty, in February leaked documents revealed a Kremlin plan to incorporate Belarus wholesale by 2030.
Belarus has avoided committing troops to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but has aided it by training Russian troops and allowing Russian use of its military bases.
In March, Putin announced that he planned to station nuclear weapons in Belarus, a move that Ukrainian security chief Oleksiy Danilov said was equivalent to "Belarus as a nuclear hostage."
Emily Ferris, a research fellow focusing on Russian and Eurasian security at the Royal United Services Institute, said it's not clear exactly what Lukashenko's statement on Monday was meant to achieve.
"They already have a bunch of security alliances," she told Insider. "I guess what they're trying to create is a sort of pseudo-Article 5."
NATO's Article 5 refers to the principle of mutual defense, whereby an attack on one member state is construed as an attack on all.
"Irrespective of a security guarantee, I don't think it would mean very much," she continued, adding: "Their armies are in every real way pretty well integrated."
Ferris also said that the move could be a response to Finland joining NATO earlier this month, and that Balarus "might be feeling over-exposed in terms of security."
It could also be a response to Lukashenko feels under threat with his domestic politics, she said, noting that Lukashenko and Putin don't actually enjoy a strong personal relationship.
"If Putin is to become, I guess the head of the Union state, then it's not entirely clear what Lukashenko's role exactly is — who will control what," she added.