The Russia-Belarus military exercise Union Shield-2019 is not a response to the NATO drills and is exclusively of defensive nature, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) The Russia-Belarus military exercise Union Shield-2019 is not a response to the NATO drills and is exclusively of defensive nature, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.
According to the minister, the meeting of Russian and Belarusian defense ministries approved the plan for the joint drills.
"The main event of the next year will be the Union Shield-2019 exercise, which should demonstrate our common determination and ability to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two states ... First and foremost, I would like to stress that our drills are exclusively of defensive nature. We do not plan any offensive actions, unlike those exercises that our colleagues [NATO] will begin tomorrow. We certainly do not do this in response to any drills, but in response to the threats that exist today and, unfortunately, increase each year," Shoigu said.
