One of Russia's few remaining allies asked Moscow for guarantees that it would defend his country if it was attacked

Emily Ferris, a research fellow focusing on Russian and Eurasian security at the Royal United Services Institute, said it's not clear exactly what Lukashenko's statement on Monday was meant to achieve. "They already have a bunch of security alliances," she told Insider. "I guess what they're trying to create is a sort of pseudo-Article 5." "Irrespective of a security guarantee, I don't think it would mean very much," she continued, adding: "Their armies are in every real way pretty well integrated." Ferris also said that the move could be a response to Finland joining NATO earlier this month, and that Belarus "might be feeling over-exposed in terms of security."