Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the capital Minsk on his visit to Belarus. Russian Foreign and Defense Ministers are also accompanying President Putin, marking the first visit of a Russian president to Belarus since 2019.
According to Russian media, President Putin will meet the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that Belarus is Russia’s number one ally.
Denying reports linking Putin’s visit to efforts to pressure Belarus to join the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin spokesman said that all such talk was “foolish and baseless”.
After Putin’s visit to Belarus, Ukraine has expressed fears that the Russian president may pressure Belarus to join the Ukrainian war.
It is reported that the Russian army used the territory of Belarus to attack Ukraine in February.