Putin To Visit Belarus For Talks w/Lukashenko 19 Dec

The Belarusian presidential office has confirmed that President Alexander Lukashenko will host Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on Monday 19 December. The two will be joined by respective Russian and Belarusian defence ministers Sergei Shoigu and Viktor Khrenin to discuss “Belarusian-Russian integration”.

• The meeting will garner notable attention from Ukraine and NATO, with Minsk putting one of its southern units (close the the Ukrainian border) on alert earlier this week. The Belarusian military also took part in snap combat readiness drills.
• These moves could be seen as a threat to Ukraine, notably the capital Kyiv, which has come under intense missile attack in the past 24 hours. Belarusian territoriy was used as a staging post for Russian troops invading northern Ukraine in February.
• Some observers have speculated that Putin has seen Lukashenko as too reluctant to offer more comprehensive backing and assistance to the Russian invasion efforts. This will be the first visit from Putin since mid-2019, with the Belarusian presidency statement saying that the “presidents will also give priority to security issues and exchange views on the situation in the region and the world”.