Belarusian delegation in Vienna: representatives of 23 states observed key stage of Zapad-2025 exercise
Belarus has sent a request to Poland in connection with the holding of the Iron Defender-25 set of exercises on its territory — as stated by the Belarusian delegation at a meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation held at the OSCE headquarters in Vienna on September 17th
“At the invitation of the Belarusian side, representatives of 23 countries, including eight OSCE member states, including military attaches from three NATO members (Hungary, the United States and Turkiye) observed one of the key stages of the troops’ practical actions during the manoeuvres on September 15th, 2025. About 150 journalists from 15 countries were accredited to report on the military drills. Comprehensive details about the exercise were made available on the website and social media platforms of Belarus’ Defence Ministry. Unfortunately, despite the Belarusian side’s unprecedented openness, our neighbours have used the Zapad-2025 exercise as an excuse to increase the number and scale of operational and combat training events near our borders. The Polish side has closed the border with Belarus in connection with the Zapad-2025 exercise and the alleged threats emanating from it,” the statement highlighted.
“At the same time, the military drills currently taking place on the territory of Poland are much larger than the Zapad-2025 exercise,” the representative of Belarus noted. “So, according to the statements of the Polish military and political leadership, about 34,000 military personnel and 600 units of military equipment are taking part in the Iron Defender-25 set of exercises. This caused legitimate concern on the Belarusian side, and therefore we sent Poland a request in accordance with clause 16.1, chapter III of the Vienna Document to clarify this unusual military activity. We note the timely and fairly detailed response from the Polish side with clarifications on this issue. It is also important to note that, in the most tense circumstances on the eve of the Zapad-2025 exercise, the Polish military took reasonable and only appropriate measures, leading to active working contacts with the Belarusian side through the air defence duty services in connection with the nighttime reciprocal UAV strikes between Russia and Ukraine. It is a pity that Poland’s political leadership, in contrast to its military counterparts, lacked courage to acknowledge this fact in public and instead resorted to unfounded, formulaic accusations.”
The contacts of the Belarusian and Polish air defence duty services are a good example of professional and depoliticised interaction to prevent dangerous military incidents. Belarus appreciates that the leadership of the armed forces of European states is coming to understand the need for full-fledged military contacts to reduce military-political tension and restore trust.
In conclusion, the Belarusian diplomats reiterated their appeal to the participating states to demonstrate political will and return to building good neighbourly relations within the OSCE region, initiating this process with a dialogue that is respectful, equal, and professional.
