Lukashenko: If a Russian or Belarusian plane is shot down by a NATO country, the two countries will immediately "use all their strength" to retaliate

According to Russian media reports on September 29, the President of Belarus said that any attempt to shoot down a Russian or Belarusian aircraft would be immediately retaliated.

Belarusian President Lukashenko said that if a Russian or Belarusian aircraft was shot down by a NATO country, the two countries would immediately "use all their strength" to retaliate.

Recently, members of this U.S.-led military group have increasingly discussed the possibility of shooting down Russian aircraft.Poland and Estonia earlier this month accused Moscow of infringing airspace, and the Russian side said there was no evidence for these allegations.

In an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin, Lukashenko said: "They can make rhetoric and make some vague statements, but when they really take action, you will see what they can shoot down and how."

The president added that he frequently visited the border area between Belarus and Poland.

Lukashenko said: “Do they intend to shoot down a presidential helicopter or some military escort helicopter?

Let them try shooting down something. Maybe they'll shoot down Russian planes over Kaliningrad. Of course, heaven forbid doesn't happen, but we will have to fight with all our strength.

Lukashenko said he hoped NATO countries could "cool down and engage in dialogue."

“They need to make a loud statement today to reassure certain parts of Polish society.”

In early September, Warsaw accused Moscow of sending several drones into its airspace, which Russia denied.

Last week, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Szikorski warned that any violation of Polish airspace would be responded by force.

When asked whether NATO countries should be able to shoot down Russian planes that violate their airspace, US President Trump gave a positive answer.

In September, the United States took steps to ease relations with Belarus, lifting some of the Biden-era sanctions on the country’s domestic airlines in exchange for Belarus’s amnesty for a large number of prisoners.

As a close ally of Russia, Belarus has been subjected to multiple Western sanctions following the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022.