Politically, Russia and Belarus are very close. Now the two countries apparently also want to work more closely together militarily. Lukashenko announced this.
Minsk – Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko has announced the formation of a joint regional military unit of his country’s armed forces with the Russian army. Lukashenko said on Monday that he had agreed this with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the informal summit of the heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Saint Petersburg, according to the Belta state agency. “The basis of this unit is the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus.” The reason for the move is the growing tension on the border with Ukraine, the 68-year-old said. He learned through unofficial channels that Ukraine was planning attacks on Belarusian territory. It is therefore necessary to think about how the security of the country can be increased.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that Putin and Lukashenko constantly discuss a variety of areas in their bilateral talks, including defense. This is provided for in the military document of the union state that both countries form.
Lukashenko, also referred to as the “last dictator in Europe”, had always declared that he did not want to be drawn into the war. At the same time, given the situation, he did not rule it out. From the very beginning, Belarus provided its military bases for the Russian attacks on Ukraine, much to the chagrin of Ukraine. From Ukraine’s point of view, Belarus is already a party to the war. dpa
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