Belarus: Lukashenko rejects calls for new elections, claims NATO deployed to border

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Sunday that NATO has deployed tanks and planes at its western border.

Speaking at a rally of his supporters in central Minsk, the 65-year-old leader rejected opposition calls for a new election and urged Belarusians to defend their country.

"I called you here not to defend me, but for the first time in a quarter-century, to defend your country and its independence," he said. He also claimed that military equipment was being amassed 15 minutes from Belarus' border.

Belarus has been rocked by demonstrations since last Sunday, when Lukashenko claimed victory in a presidential election his opponents say was rigged. Two people have died in the protests and thousands have been arrested.

Lukashenko, who has led the former Soviet state for 26 years, denies election fraud. He says foreign interference is to blame for the unrest.