During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Sunday, Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko made a lighthearted remark suggesting that fighters from the Russian Wagner mercenary group, currently training Belarusian forces, expressed a desire to cross the border into NATO member Poland.
In a seemingly jesting tone, Lukashenko said, “The Wagner guys have started to stress us. They want to go west. ‘Let’s go on a trip to Warsaw and Rzeszow.'”
The situation has prompted Poland to deploy additional troops to its border with Belarus in response to the presence of Wagner forces who had relocated there following a brief mutiny in Russia the previous month.
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The meeting occurred just two days after Moscow issued a warning that any aggression against its ally, Belarus, would be treated as an attack on Russia. Putin assured that Moscow would employ all available means to respond to any hostility directed at Minsk.
The remarks also follow the failed insurrection attempt by the commander of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
It’s worth noting that while Lukashenko has not sent his own troops to Ukraine, he has allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that took place in February 2022. The two leaders have had frequent meetings since then.
During the meeting, Putin made the claim that Ukraine’s counteroffensive “had failed,” to which Lukashenko countered by stating, “There is no counteroffensive.”
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Ukraine had initiated its anticipated counteroffensive the previous month, but so far, it has made only limited gains against well-entrenched Russian forces.
On July 18, U.S. General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, asserted that the Ukrainian drive was “far from a failure,” but acknowledged that it would be a long, difficult, and bloody process.
During their meeting, Lukashenko and Putin also echoed Moscow’s frequently stated remarks suggesting that Poland has ambitions to seize parts of western Ukraine, aiming to reverse some post-World War II border changes.
In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba emphasized that Ukraine and Poland would always stand united and firmly opposed Putin’s attempts to create divisions between Kyiv and Warsaw. Kuleba stated, “Unlike Russia, Poland and Ukraine have learned from history and will always stand united against Russian imperialism and disrespect for international law.”
These recent remarks came shortly after Putin caused tensions with Warsaw by referring to western Poland as a “gift” from Soviet dictator Josef Stalin at the end of World War II when the Allies were defining the borders of postwar Europe.
Earlier this month, according to an anonymous military source associated with the Syrian government, the Russian Wagner forces stationed in Syria remain in their assigned positions, inactive but awaiting redeployment orders.
Information for this story was found via Radio Free Europe and the sources mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
2 Responses
Your headline states this is fact (Wagner wants to invade Poland), but the article does not state this at all. Time to use appropriate headlines. Not everybody reads the article (which you know), and exaggerated headlines spur rumours and unnecessary angst. Irresponsible journalism.
From the article:
“In a seemingly jesting tone, Lukashenko said, “The Wagner guys have started to stress us. They want to go west. ‘Let’s go on a trip to Warsaw and Rzeszow.'””
Please explain how that does not match the headline.