Lukashenko: Giving Ukraine long-range weapons will "put the red button on the table" for Putin

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned the West this Saturday that arming Ukraine with long-range missiles could force Russia to resort to more deadly weapons.

Lukashenko says this policy could provoke a devastating response from Moscow, according to remarks made during a visit to a military training facility in the Brest region, near its NATO border with Poland.

“It gives the impression that the Americans are pressuring the Russians to use the most terrible weapons,” Lukashenko said, in statements reported by the Daily Mail.

“Arming Volodymyr Zelensky and his army, equipping them with long-range missiles, even at a distance of 300 kilometers, can you imagine?” Lukashenko asked.

“Powerful missiles will hit Russian territory at a distance of 300 kilometers. Do you think the president of Russia and the military will look at this calmly?” the Belarusian president, who has been in power for 29 years, continued to ask.

“The revival of tensions and escalation will lead to a situation in which they (Russia) will take the red button and put it on the table,” Lukashenko warned, referring to the Russian nuclear arsenal.