Russian President Vladimir Putin is to travel to Belarus on Monday in his first visit in more than three years to his ally in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Alexander Lukashenko will host Putin in Minsk for talks on security and “joint measures to respond to emerging challenges” as well as economic cooperation including on import substitution, according to a statement on the Belarusian leader’s website on Friday.
The Kremlin said the two leaders will focus on their “strategic partnership and alliance with an emphasis on integration cooperation.”
This will be Putin’s first visit to Belarus since June 2019. Lukashenko is a regular visitor to Russia and has met with Putin in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi and the far eastern Amur region since the Russian president ordered the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
Lukashenko allowed Russian forces to cross into Ukraine from Belarus in their failed attempt to seize the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, at the start of the war and he has consistently supported Putin’s invasion while holding back from sending his own military to join the fight. The US and EU have sanctioned Lukashenko’s regime for aiding Russia in the war.
Putin’s visit is also the first since the Belarusian leader’s brutal crackdown on protesters after disputed presidential elections in 2020. The US and EU refused to recognise the election results and have backed exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
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