Russian President Putin and Belarusian Leader Lukashenko to Meet Amidst Tensions

Tensions Rise between Russia and Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko are scheduled to meet on Sunday, according to the Kremlin. This meeting comes after Moscow issued a warning that any form of aggression against its neighbor and strongest ally, Belarus, would be considered an attack on Russia.

Poland’s Response to Russian Forces in Belarus

Poland has recently decided to deploy military units closer to its border with Belarus in response to the presence of forces from Russia’s Wagner Group in Belarus. In light of this, Putin stated that Moscow would utilize all available means to counter any hostility towards Minsk.

Further Development of Strategic Partnership

The purpose of Lukashenko’s visit to Russia is to discuss the further development of the “strategic partnership” between the two countries. While Lukashenko has not sent his own troops to Ukraine, he permitted Russia to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian territory in February 2022. Since then, Lukashenko has had frequent meetings with Putin.

Joint Military Training and Controversial Decisions

Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus have conducted numerous joint military training exercises. Additionally, in June, Lukashenko allowed Russian nuclear weapons to be stationed in Belarus, a move that received widespread condemnation from the West.

Concerns and Preparations in Kyiv

Due to Lukashenko’s dependence on Putin for his political survival and his frequent meetings with the Russian leader, there were fears in Kyiv that Putin would pressure Lukashenko to join a new ground offensive and open another front in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Wagner Group in Belarus

Belarusian defense ministry announced on Thursday that Wagner Group mercenaries have started training Belarusian special forces near the border with NATO-member Poland. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner Group, appeared in a video welcoming his fighters to Belarus and instructing them to gather strength for future operations in Africa while training the Belarusian army.

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