Belarusian president says situation on border with Ukraine 'stabilized'

MOSCOW

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that the situation on the border with Ukraine "has somewhat stabilized."

Speaking at a meeting of the Security Council in Minsk, Lukashenko said still the republic is forced to build guard posts and arm border guards.

"The situation on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border has somewhat stabilized, although there are countless problems there," he said.

Lukashenko said there are "many issues that need to be addressed on a mobilization basis, and we need to reinforce the border abandoned by Ukraine, build guard posts, and equip border guards."

He added that "behind the border guards, we have to deploy armed forces in the second line."

"Of course, this diverts not only our attention but also certain resources," he said.