Polish President Andrzej Duda is convinced that if Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, orders his armed forces to engage in the war against Ukraine, it would mean a “total end” for his regime.
Source: Duda in an interview with 1+1 TV channel
Quote: “There is no doubt that Lukashenko is trying to avoid Putin forcing the Belarusian army to enter Ukraine, to engage in open combat against Ukraine. Because, firstly, it would mean death for many Belarusians who have no combat experience and suddenly, badly armed, would face Ukrainians who have been fighting for many years and who are very determined to defend their homeland.
Secondly, Belarusians are not a warrior nation. Belarusians do not want to fight, so they would have to be forced to go against their Ukrainian neighbours.
Lukashenko knows very well that this will mean his ultimate end. Because, in my opinion, virtually the whole nation will go against him, then. The situation may turn out to be completely unmanageable for him.”
Details: At the same time, Duda said that Poland did not actually recognise the Belarusian regime in a political sense.
“We believe that the elections [in 2020] were falsified, that the result absolutely does not reflect who is in power there today. We believe that this is usurped power, so we do not recognise it,” the Polish president said.
Background:
Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, stated on 16 February that the Belarusian army would join the Russian Armed Forces only in the event of an attack on Belarus.
The Ukrainian military states that Russian forces on the territory of Belarus are not sufficient for a successful ground offensive at the moment.
Defence Intelligence of Ukraine believes that the Belarusian soldiers will be forced to obey the orders of Lukashenko, and may be involved in the invasion of Ukraine.