Presidents of Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia Warn NATO about the Belarus Threat

The Presidents of Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia have alerted NATO to the threat emanating from Belarus. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, along with his Polish and Latvian counterparts, Andrzej Duda and Egils Levits, respectively, penned a letter to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, warning about the danger originating from Belarus. The document has been posted on the official website of the Lithuanian President.

In their letter, the three leaders state that the cooperation between Moscow and Minsk has undermined the security not only of the region but also of the entire Euro-Atlantic space. They highlight that Russia is using Belarus and its resources for its aggressive war against Ukraine, indicating an increasing military integration between the two countries.

"One of the recent manifestations of this is the placement of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. This step represents an escalation of the war in Ukraine and a direct threat to the security of our community. It also violates the NATO-Russia Founding Act and serves as living proof of its inefficacy," the letter states.

Nauseda, Duda, and Levits also caution that the deployment of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group and their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to Belarus "will create risks to the political stability in Belarus and may result in the loss of control over conventional and nuclear weapons."

The presidents also note that the presence of Wagner Group members could incite Belarus to provoke migrant-related incidents at the EU borders.

"Today, on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius, we need solidarity and unity to counter all threats according to the 360-degree principle. This includes those arising from recent events in Belarus. We must show Russia that we see and understand their actions, and that we are ready to use all possible means to counter them," the letter states.

After the attempted coup in Russia, with the consent of self-proclaimed Belarusian President Lukashenko, Prigozhin was supposed to head to Belarus.

Following these developments, the Foreign Ministers of Lithuania and Latvia called on NATO on Tuesday to strengthen its eastern borders in response to the deployment of Wagner private military contractors in Belarus.

Polish President Andrzej Duda stated that the movement of the Wagner Group to Belarus is a very negative signal for his country.