9 months ago
72 Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) astatine the Grand Kremlin Palace connected May 25, 2023 successful Moscow, Russia.
Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian person Alexander Lukashenko volition conscionable connected Sunday, the Kremlin said, 2 days aft Moscow warned that immoderate aggression against the its neighbour and staunchest state would beryllium considered an onslaught connected Russia.
After Poland decided earlier this week to determination subject units person to its borderline with Belarus successful effect to the accomplishment successful Belarus of forces from Russia's Wagner Group, Putin said Moscow would usage each means it has to respond to immoderate hostility towards Minsk.
The Kremlin said Lukashenko is paying a moving sojourn to Russia and volition speech to Putin astir further improvement of the countries' "strategic partnership."
While not sending his ain troops to Ukraine, Lukashenko allowed Moscow to usage Belarusian territory to motorboat its full-scale penetration connected Ukraine successful February 2022 and has since met with Putin frequently.
The 2 countries person since held aggregate associated subject grooming exercises, and successful June Lukashenko allowed his state to beryllium utilized arsenic a basal for Russian atomic weapons, a determination broadly condemned by the West.
The cognition that Lukashenko, a pariah successful the West, depends connected Putin for his endurance had fanned fears successful Kyiv that Putin would unit him to articulation a caller crushed violative and unfastened a caller beforehand successful Russia's faltering penetration of Ukraine.
On Thursday, the Belarusian defence ministry said Wagner Group mercenaries person started to bid Belarusian peculiar forces astatine a subject scope conscionable a fewer miles from the borderline with NATO-member Poland.
Wagner main Yevgeny Prigozhin was shown successful a video welcoming his fighters to Belarus connected Wednesday, telling them they would instrumentality nary further portion for present successful the warfare successful Ukraine but ordering them to stitchery spot for Wagner's operations successful Africa portion they trained the Belarusian army.
