Putin visits Lukashenko: alarm mood in Ukraine – and also in Minsk?
Created: 12/19/2022, 10:40 am
By: Markus Hofstetter
Vladimir Putin is traveling to Belarus for the first time in years.
This causes concern in Kyiv – Lukashenko also defends himself in advance.
News ticker on war diplomacy.
Vladimir Putin
meets with
Alexander Lukashenko
: heads of state want to talk about "strategic partnership".
Putin
travels to
Minsk
: Ukraine concerned about joint exercise by Russian and Belarusian troops
This
news ticker
on
diplomatic developments
in the Ukraine war is constantly updated.
Moscow/Minsk – Alexander Lukashenko has been heavily dependent on Russia, and not just since 2020 – but at that time protests against the controversial re-election of the Belarusian ruler were suppressed with Moscow's approval.
Most recently, both countries concluded new agreements on economic and military cooperation.
Russia and Belarus have even been officially joined in one union state since 2021, with the smaller partner largely dependent on Moscow.
However, Lukashenko rules out joining Russia.
And even before a meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Belarusian president is trying to take the wind out of critics' sails.
Vladimir Putin meets Alexander Lukashenko: Heads of state want to talk about "strategic partnership".
Against the background of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the two ex-Soviet republics have significantly expanded their military cooperation.
For example, Belarus makes its military bases available for attacks on Ukraine.
However, the Belarusian armed forces have not yet intervened in the fighting.
Lukashenko has also repeatedly stated that he does not intend to send soldiers to Ukraine.
Russian President Putin traveled to Belarus in June 2019 to meet with Alexander Lukashenko.
(Archive photo) © Sergey Bobylev/dpa/picture alliance
Now Vladimir Putin will travel to the western neighboring country for the first time in years.
This Monday he will meet Lukashenko in Minsk.
The two long-term heads of state want to talk about their countries' "strategic partnership" at the working meeting, the Kremlin and the press service of the Belarusian president said.
Other topics include regional and international issues.
Lukashenko spoke before the appointment.
And indicated a tightrope act: "Yes, we stand by Russia.
We remain a sovereign and independent state,” he said on Friday (December 16), according to a report by the state agency Belta.
"Nobody governs Belarus but us," Lukashenko emphasized - after the talks, "everyone will say that there is no longer any power in Belarus and that the Russians rule the country here."
The situation is being "artificially fueled," he claimed.
Putin travels to Minsk: Ukraine concerned about joint exercise by Russian and Belarusian troops
Parallel to Putin's visit to Minsk, Russian troops are holding maneuvers in Belarus.
This was announced by the Ministry of Defense in Moscow on Monday night, as reported by the Interfax agency.
Practiced at battalion level.
After the end of the exercises, "the combat capability and combat readiness of the units" should be finally evaluated.
When and where exactly the exercises should be held was not announced.
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The Russian units are therefore part of a joint combat force with Belarus, which is being reorganized.
According to earlier information from the Belarusian side, up to 9,000 Russian soldiers should belong to it.
The meeting and joint exercise alarmed Ukraine.
From Kyiv it is said that all possible defense scenarios are being prepared.
"No matter what is planned in Minsk, it will not help them any more than any other sick ideas in this war against Ukraine and the Ukrainians," said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.