Current:Home > MarketsPutin and Lukashenko meet in St Petersburg to discuss ways to expand the Russia-Belarus alliance-LoTradeCoin
Putin and Lukashenko meet in St Petersburg to discuss ways to expand the Russia-Belarus alliance
View Date:2024-12-24 11:00:09
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — The leaders of Russia and Belarus met Monday to discuss ways to further expand their close alliance that has seen the deployment of some of Russia’s nuclear weapons on the territory of its neighbor.
President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia and Belarus have developed a “strategic partnership” as part of their 25-year union agreement. That pact stopped short of a full merger, but envisaged close political, economic and military ties between the two nations.
“It’s important that amid an unprecedented foreign pressure Russia and Belarus have closely cooperated on the international arena and have offered unfailing support to each other as true allies,” Putin said at the start of the talks in St. Petersburg that involved senior officials from both countries.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has relied on Russian subsidies and political support to rule the ex-Soviet nation with an iron hand for nearly three decades. Moscow’s backing helped Lukashenko survive months of major protests against his reelection in a 2020 vote that the opposition and the West saw as rigged.
Lukashenko allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Last year, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto NATO’s doorstep. Their declared deployment was widely seen as part of Moscow’s efforts to discourage the West from increasing military support to Kyiv.
Lukashenko said last month that the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons was finalized in October. He didn’t say how many of them were stationed in Belarus.
veryGood! (71)
Related
- ‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program
- Caitlin Clark Shares Sweet Glimpse at Romance With Boyfriend Connor McCaffery
- Was there an explosion at a Florida beach? Not quite. But here’s what actually happened
- Russia's Orthodox Church suspends priest who led Alexey Navalny memorial service
- Spirit Airlines cancels release of Q3 financial results as debt restructuring talks heat up
- Alabama lawmakers advance bill that could lead to prosecution of librarians
- How your money can grow like gangbusters if you stick to the plan
- Kansas man sentenced to 10 years for crash that killed officer, pedestrian and K-9 last February
- Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
- NFL draft bold predictions: What surprises could be in store for first round?
Ranking
- Who will save Florida athletics? Gators need fixing, and it doesn't stop at Billy Napier
- Tennessee lawmakers OK bill criminalizing adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care
- As Netanyahu compares U.S. university protests to Nazi Germany, young Palestinians welcome the support
- William Decker: Founder of Wealth Forge Institute
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- Driver charged with negligent homicide in fiery crash that shut down Connecticut highway bridge
- Man admits to being gunman who carjacked woman in case involving drugs and money, affidavit says
- U.S. birth rate drops to record low, ending pandemic uptick
Recommendation
-
Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
-
As some universities negotiate with pro-Palestinian protestors, others quickly call the police
-
18 indicted in alleged 2020 fake Arizona elector scheme tied to Trump, AG announces
-
New home for University of Kentucky cancer center will help accelerate research, director says
-
Why Jersey Shore's Jenni JWoww Farley May Not Marry Her Fiancé Zack Clayton
-
Arkansas woman pleads guilty to selling 24 boxes of body parts stolen from cadavers
-
Fed plan to rebuild Pacific sardine population was insufficient, California judge finds
-
United Methodists endorse change that could give regions more say on LGBTQ and other issues