MINSK (Sputnik) — Russia announced its plans to open a new air base in Belarus in 2014, with up to 24 jets to be deployed in Babruysk.
Minsk claimed that such a decision would make the country a greater target for NATO, proposing instead to deploy the aircraft without Russian pilots, or accepting at least a temporary, rotational Russian presence.
"It is necessary to reconstruct the airfield [in Babruysk]… What I say is give me 20 aircraft, we have good pilots, we have a great [flight training] school, you know that we are not worse [than Russian pilots] in fighting on military aircraft," Lukashenko said, adding that both Russia and Belarus were part of the Union State.
He pointed out that from a military point of view there was no need in Russian military airbase in Belarus, adding that Belarus would "never become an aggressor."
