An attack by Russian troops originating in Belarus seems unlikely, despite repeated warnings from the United States, says Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, MIA news agency informs.

“That sounds laughable,” Reznikov told journalists. Kiev estimates the number of Russian troops in Belarus at around 9,000, plus equipment.

Reznikov says it is unsurprising that Moscow is not withdrawing the troops following the end on Sunday of joint exercises with the Belarusian military, “as they were apparently not brought up from the Far East over several weeks to train for 10 days and then return.”