Belarus to Turn Into 'United Military Base' With Russia in Case of Aggression, Lukashenko Says

MINSK (Sputnik) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that his country would turn into a "united military base of Belarus and Russia" in case of external aggression.

Lukashenko, however, noted in an interview with CNN journalist Mathew Chance that "there is not a single" foreign military base in Belarus, including of Russia, explaining that the two Russian military facilities are designed for civil purposes.

"If needed, Belarus will turn into a united base of Belarus and Russia, a military base to resist your aggression. If you or some neighboring countries deem to do that, you must clearly understand that," Lukashenko told the CNN broadcaster, as quoted by the Belarusian state media.

Regarding the two military installations, Lukashenko explained that one has been there "since Soviet times," having been built for the early detection of nuclear missile launches from the United States, while the other is used by the Russian Armed Forces to communicate with their fleet in the Atlantic.

Lukashenko gave the interview to the broadcaster at the Palace of Independence located in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Thursday.