Belarusian Security Council Secretary Alexander Volfovich has warned that a wider war could break out in Europe.
Volfovich, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on Thursday that Belarus is concerned over the "militarization of Poland" and its "aggressive intentions," news agency BelTA reported.
Belarus has been used by Russia as a staging ground to send missiles and troops into Ukraine, but it has not participated directly in the war.
Tensions rose last month, with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko vowing to conduct joint deployments with Russian forces. That prompted the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to publicly urge Belarus not to join Russia's war against Ukraine, warning that Kyiv would retaliate if it does.
Volfovich said Belarus was concerned about threats to its security.
"Being an outpost in the Eastern European region of collective security, Belarus has faced, unfortunately, all security challenges and threats," he said. "First of all, we are concerned about the military presence on the territory of the neighboring states, and the military rhetoric from our neighbors."
Volfovich warned NATO member Poland that should it unleash "aggression," the war that would follow would affect not only the territory of Belarus, but the whole of Eastern Europe.
"Militarization of Poland and its aggressive intentions are of primary concern: To the detriment of their own economic interests, the country [Poland] has opted for militarization, an increase in the number of armed forces, hardware," he said, accusing Poland of setting its sights on Belarus.
"No one cares about ordinary Polish people and their needs. But the goal of these actions is clear: to unleash aggression. Unleash aggression against whom? Naturally, the closest is the Republic of Belarus," said Volfovich.
"The Polish leadership must understand that if it unleashes aggression, the war will affect not only the territory of Belarus. It will set the entire Eastern Europe on fire. This will affect the peaceful people of Poland and other countries, who will not forgive their political leaders for what they did," the official added.
Newsweek has contacted the foreign ministries of Belarus and Poland for comment.
The Polish government has expanded its military spending since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
The Polish government's draft state budget, presented in August, calls for an unprecedented rise in defense spending to around $20 billion. At just over 3 percent of GDP, the 2023 Polish defence budget is more than triple its 2014 level, defense news site Janes reported.
Volfovich also said that issues existing in relations between Belarus and neighboring NATO countries should be resolved through negotiations "in a peaceful, civilized and democratic manner."
"We should meet at the negotiating table, discuss problems and find common ground. Unfortunately, this is something the political leaderships of the neighboring countries are reluctant to do. They sever all international treaties and hide behind some kind of iron curtain," he was quoted as saying.
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About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
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