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"We are not indifferent to what is happening there. But this is primarily the business of the Belarusian people," he stressed.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin Thursday said that his country is ready to intervene if the situation in Belarus gets out of control.
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"We proceed from the assumption that all the existing problems that are taking place today in Belarus will be resolved peacefully," Putin said, adding that, within the frameworks of the Union State and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Russia could help Belarus protect its sovereignty, national borders, and stability.
During a TV interview, Putin recalled a recent phone conversation with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who asked Putin to form a "certain reserve of law enforcement officers," and Putin said he did.
Yet the two leaders agreed that the reserve will not be used unless the situation grows out of control and extremists "hiding behind political slogans cross certain boundaries," Putin said.
Video of the Polar Star exercise in Brest, Belarus with Russian and Belarusian paratroopers as part of Russia's Army Games tournament. A Mi-8MTV-5 inserted the paratroopers who then freed simulated hostages from a building and cleared the perimeter.https://t.co/VyAGNJ4hxG pic.twitter.com/k9oGFiBeWx
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 28, 2020
According to Kremlin's leader, Belarus is perhaps the closest country to Russia ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and spiritually.
"Therefore, of course, we are not indifferent to what is happening there. But this is primarily the business of the Belarusian people," Putin stressed.
Belarus has been witnessing mass protests after incumbent President Lukashenko won a sixth term in the Aug. 9 elections, with the opposition refusing to recognize the results.
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