Lithuanian premier: Russian troop buildup in Belarus could change calculations

An unexpected Russian troop buildup in neighboring Belarus could change calculations in the region and lead to a NATO response, Lithuania’s prime minister said on Tuesday, as the world continues to eye the tens of thousands of Russian troops amassed along Ukraine’s borders.

“This current buildup of Russian forces in Belarus is unscheduled. There was a Russian military exercise in 2021. If these military exercises mean weaponry and troops will remain on Belarus soil indefinitely, that changes the calculations substantially,” Ingrida Simonyte said in an interview before meeting in London with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

She added: “It will mean an increase in NATO presence, and that would not be a provocation, as Moscow claims, but a reaction to what has changed on NATO borders. This is now an area full of weaponry. Russian troops that are in the south of his country can be moved very quickly.”