Lukashenko: If Russian or Belarusian planes are shot down by NATO countries, both countries will immediately 'use all their forces' to retaliate

According to Russian media reports on September 29th, the President of Belarus stated that any attempt to shoot down Russian or Belarusian aircraft will face immediate retaliation

Belarusian President Lukashenko stated that if Russian or Belarusian planes are shot down by NATO countries, both countries will immediately "use all their forces" to retaliate.

Recently, members of this US led military group have been increasingly discussing the possibility of shooting down Russian planes. Poland and Estonia accused Moscow of violating their airspace earlier this month, but Russia has stated that these allegations are unfounded.

Lukashenko said in an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin, "They can talk big and make vague statements, but when they really take action, you will see what they can shoot down and how to shoot it down

The president added that he often travels to the border areas between Belarus and Poland.

Lukashenko said, "Are they planning to shoot down the presidential helicopter or some military escort helicopters? Revenge will come immediately

Let them try shooting down something. Perhaps they will shoot down Russian planes over Kaliningrad. Of course, I hope this won't happen, but we will have to fight with all our might.

Lukashenko expressed the hope that NATO countries can "calm down and engage in dialogue".

He added, "They need to make a loud statement today to appease certain parts of Polish society

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

Last week, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned that any violation of Polish airspace would be met with a military response.

When asked if 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 measures to ease relations with Belarus, lifting some Biden era sanctions on domestic airlines in exchange for Belarus pardoning a large number of prisoners.

As a close ally of Russia, Belarus faced multiple rounds of Western sanctions after the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict in 2022.