The deepening integration of Russia and Belarus is a response to pressure from Western countries. This was stated by the chairman of the permanent commission of the Council of the Republic on international affairs and national security Sergei Rachkov, BelTA informs.

“The deepening of the integration of Belarus and Russia has become an adequate response to the hybrid war on the part of the so-called collective West. (…) 28 sectoral union programs are an important tool for integration,” he said at the media forum “Belarus-Russia: Equal Union, Common History, Common Future”.

Rachkov stressed that Moscow and Minsk had already done a lot to offset the effects of external pressure. According to him, Russia and Belarus have to respond to numerous challenges and threats. In addition, Rachkov noted that the creation of the Union State laid the foundation for the strategic rapprochement of countries.

Earlier, Vice Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev said that the attempts of the Western side to turn Belarus into "anti-Russia" by analogy with Ukraine proved to be a failure. According to him, the republic remains a fraternal state for Russia, despite external pressure.