"Any further aggression against Ukraine will receive a strong answer from the European Union. But I want to add that this will also apply to Belarus. Should an attack be conducted from its territory or with its involvement. Belarus is being dragged into the crisis, it is losing its sovereignty," Borrell said at a press conference following the Foreign Affairs Council.
Borrell added that Belarus is also losing its "nuclear neutrality" and becoming a satellite of Moscow due to the Russia-Belarus Union Courage 2022 drills, which the top EU Diplomat denounced as "a non-transparent deployment of Russian forces."
Borrell also noted that now Russian authorities have to decide on how the international community will perceive the country.
"Now it’s up to Russia and to Russian leadership how they want to be seen by the international community and by history," Borrell said.
In the past few months, the West and Ukraine have accused Russia of a troop build-up near the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for an "invasion." Moscow has denied these accusations, repeatedly stating that it is not threatening anyone and at the same time expressing strong concerns over NATO's military activity near Russian borders, which it deems a threat to its national security. Moscow has also said Russia has the right to move troops within its national territory.
Belarus and Russia have agreed to continue their joint "Union Courage 2022" drills that started earlier this month amid an escalation of hostilities in Ukraine’s southeast, known as Donbas. The self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics (LPR and DPR) announced the evacuation of their citizens to Russia’s Rostov Region on Friday amid fears of an attack by Kiev forces. LPR and DPR have been reporting constant shelling of their territories by Kiev forces, including with the use of artillery prohibited by the Minsk peace deal. Several civilians have been killed as a result of Kiev forces’ shelling, according to the breakaway republics.