Defense Ministry: Russian troops will return to bases when 'objective need' arises

The Russian Armed Forces will return to their bases only when an "objective need" to do so arises, Chief of the General Staff of Belarus' Armed Forces Major-General Viktor Gulevich said at a briefing for military attaches to mark the upcoming Day of Fatherland Defenders and the Armed Forces, BelTA learned from the Defense Ministry of Belarus.

"Given the ongoing military buildup near the external border of the Union State and the aggravation of the situation in the Donbass, the presidents of Belarus and Russia decided to continue inspecting the response forces of the Union State. The Russian Armed Forces will return to their bases only when an ‘objective need' to do so arises and when we decide to do so. This is purely our internal affair," Viktor Gulevich said.

He stressed that to a large extent this will depend on the actions of Western colleagues. "The troops and hardware that have been recently deployed in the Eastern European region, including near the state border of the Republic of Belarus, are one of the factors affecting the further development of the situation. Therefore, Belarus has the right to demand that the United States and NATO member countries pull back the troops from the border of the Republic of Belarus and the Union State and to ensure control over this pullback by verification measures," Viktor Gulevich added.