MINSK, October 26. /TASS/. Moscow and Minsk are ready to repel any threat, and any military aggression against the Union State will be met with a harsh and resolute response, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov told the Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defense) magazine in an interview.

"The West must realize that Russia and Belarus are ready to repel any threat, regardless of its nature and scope. There will be our tough and resolute response to any aggressive military actions against the Union State," the diplomat warned. Russian tactical nuclear weapons have been deployed to Belarus, and Oresnik missile systems are on combat duty, Gryzlov said as he called these measures appropriate amid the growing threat to the Union State’s borders.

According to him, statements from Western leaders that the Europeans must be ready for war by 2030 go beyond words as Western countries are investing huge funds in weapons production and the modernization of military infrastructure. "However terrible it may sound, hot heads in the West could go to war `simply to avoid tanks rusting," the Russian diplomat said.

Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus do not harbor any aggressive plans toward Europe, Gryzlov said. "On the contrary, as the Russian president stressed on September 25, we are ready for cooperation and to restore relations with our European neighbors. The ball is in their court here. These relations were not frozen by us," he concluded.