Lukashenko: Belarus always prepares for war so that there is none

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that the country is constantly engaged in military preparations, but their goal is to prevent conflicts, not to participate in them.

He made the remarks at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, BelTA reports.

According to Lukashenko, despite “various kinds of clamor,” Moscow and Minsk are following a previously charted strategy led by their foreign policy agencies. At the same time, he acknowledged that in certain situations defense structures come to the fore.

“Sometimes our defense ministries move to the front. Or, as they call it in America, the war department. But only in the sense that we always prepare for war so that there is none. Whereas their war ministry exists in order to wage war every day. God forbid, of course,” — Lukashenko said.

The Belarusian leader’s words came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump signing an executive order in September 2025 designating “Department of War” as an additional name for the Pentagon. The head of the department, Pete Hegseth, who received the title of “Secretary of War,” stated that following the renaming, the ministry would fight to “win, not lose.”

Lukashenko has made similar statements on multiple occasions before. In late May, he said that Minsk was preparing for war “just in case” and “to the fullest extent,” but had no intention of fighting in the absence of aggression against the country.

“If this war doesn’t happen — well, thank God it won’t,” — Lukashenko said at the time.

The Belarusian leader has also repeatedly pointed to the need to strengthen the republic’s defense capability, including troop training and weapons supplies. In September 2024, he called for further bolstering of Belarus’s defenses.